ROCKY HORROR : ROXIE'S STORY
by Kayla Sparrow
Summary: The events of RH seen through the eyes of Roxanne, a young woman who accidentally enters the world of Dr.Frank n Furter and will never be the same again. What...or WHO...will she change? Set pre-and-during RHPS. Frank/OC! R&R!
1. CH1 : Enter at Your Own Risk

**The Prologue**

_«Where is my mind? _

_That is a question I find quite hard to answer, at the moment. It seems that either my mind has finally broken down or it has simply decided to abandon me for good, leaving me to tend to myself. I cannot say if I am sane or not anymore. I cannot see if what my eyes are reflecting is reality or a constant dream. I cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is not anymore. Time. Time bears no more meaning to me, it has no sense to exist at all anymore. And, strangely, I feel as if I can't recall what it was like before any of this happened. I don't really know, and I can't recall what was of me before I got here. I don't feel like I ever belonged anywhere else, in more than one way. A part of me feels like I never even existed before this. Had none of this happened, I might have never come to be aware of who I am and would have never found my truest self. Or, perhaps, if none of this had happened, I wouldn't have lost myself in the first place. I have been walking on a narrow string on the edge between insanity and reality. And I am afraid to lose my balance. But then again, maybe this is all worth it in the end. For if it is someone who you truly love, how could you hold back from giving yourself up for them, when they were the first to save you?_

"_Say goodbye to all of this…and hello to oblivion."_

_Closing my eyes, I hold my breath and step out into the light.»_

**CHAPTER 1: Arrival at the Frankenstein Place/Enter at your own risk!**

"We have a visitor."

Frank N Furter stopped at the sound of the handyman's voice, his arms frozen in mid-air as he was trying to grip onto the chandelier above the metallic tank that was to be used for his grandest experiment to give it the last finishing touches. He lowered his hands and removed the dark oval goggles he had been wearing for protection, sending a questioning gaze at the handyman, his eyebrow raised in amusement.

"I peg your pardon, Riff raff?"

The hunchback started fiddling with hands nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "We….have a visitor, Master."

"I heard _that_, you brainless idiot," Frank snapped, "What I would like to know is how in the name of Transsexual is it possible that we have a _visitor?_"

Riff raff mumbled uneasily, "I-I think it would be better for you to come see for yourself, Master."

Frank closed his eyes and sigh loudly with frustration, stalking past Riff raff towards the elevator without another word and noisily removing his pink rubber gloves with a loud snap as he did so. Riff raff quickly followed, taking it as a cue to show him the way.  
>The handyman entered into the elevator after him and hastily closed the gate and directed them to the ground floor, then quickly re-opened it as soon as they arrived. He clumsily led the way through the mansion, Frank's shoeheels clicking on the ground the only sound echoing around the hallways as they moved. Riff raff finally came to a stop in front of the door that led to one of the mansion's guest rooms.<p>

"This better be good, Riff raff," Frank warned, striding past him and entering through the door.

The bedroom was dimly lit by the pale moonlight filtering through the floor-length windows covering one of the walls and the faint glow of the cluster of candles that had been lit by the bedside. The sound of the rainstorm raging outside filled the air. Magenta, the housemaid, stood silently at the foot of the bed, her face directed towards the person lying there. Columbia, a frisky and exuberant groupie also stood to the side.  
>Frank walked past them, squinting his eyes questioningly at their expressions, then turned his head to see what they were all staring at. A sudden flash of lighting illuminated the figure of a young woman spread underneath the covers, obviously unconscious.<p>

"Well well well," he said matter-of-factly, stopping by the bedside with his hands on his hips, "What do we have here?" He waited for someone to respond, cocking an eyebrow when nobody did. "I'm waiting for an answer," he added.

"It's a she," Riff raff finally spoke up, daring to move closer to the bed as well and eyeing the limp long-haired figure lying there.

"You don't say, Riff raff," Frank replied in mock astonishment, "My, what a marvellous sense of observation you do have!"

"He brought her here from the woods," Magenta spoke up, her eyes still on the young lady.

"What brought you to do so?" Frank asked.

"I was out gathering some wood and I found her in the middle of the forest. She was already unconscious and badly wounded, and she looked as if she might need some tending to," he explained.

"And you bring her back _here_?" Frank demanded.

"I hope this does not offend you, Master," he answered sheepishly, "I thought that, perhaps, she could…."

"I know what you thought," Frank cut him off. Riff raff shut up.

"She was wearing _this, _when I found her_"_ the handyman added after a few seconds, taking a tattered piece of clothing and handing it over to Frank, who grabbed it from him and then moved closer to the bed to get a better look at the girl. What the handyman had said was true: the skin on her face and neck looked badly battered, her lower lip was bleeding and she had a gash above her right eye. Her long hair was tangled and messily sprawled underneath her, and the simple white clothes she was wearing – which would have seemed odd, for this type of cold and rainy weather, had it not been for the piece of clothing Frank was holding which proved that was she was wearing were only her undergarments – were also smudged with dirt and ripped in various spots. He took in her delicate features, her slender nose and her elegant lips and her nicely arched eyebrows. He also noticed a dark patch underneath her left eye, as if someone had beaten her there. He pulled back and stayed silent for another moment, as the others eagerly waited for his next decision.

Another flash of lighting illuminated his face. He seemed to be lost in deep thought, as his dark-lidded eyes remained fixed on the bed and his gaze seemed lost in the distance of his own mind, his chin leaning onto one of his hands. Then, without a word, he suddenly seemed to snap out of his daze, turned around, and headed for the door.

His command rang in the room a split second before he was gone.

"See to it that the wounds are tended to," he ordered, "As soon as she awakens, you know where to find me."

The three servants stared at the door a few seconds after he was gone, then turned to look at the girl again. Another flash lit up the room, reflecting her seemingly innocent and momentarily unconscious features. Then the three of them went their separate ways, each one off to attend to a different duty of some sort.

The same flash of lighting, meanwhile, illuminated the patch of clothing which Frank now examined as he walked back to the lab, holding it up as the eerie night light flashed on the words sewn into the inner side of the jacket which read:

**DENTON MENTAL INSTITUTION**

**A/N: Hello my dear unconvential readers! Welcome to my Rocky Horror Picture Show story. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! I've thrown in a lot of clues regarding the storyline that will become useful to you as the story continues. I have, apart from RHPS itself, been inspired by a variety of other movies/chatacters/settings to write this story, so feel free to point out any eventual (or unintended!) references you might have spotted!**

**The second chapter will be up shortly. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**

**Much love to all, Kayla.**


	2. CH2 : All but a dream within a dream?

**A/N: Alright, so I figured I might as well go ahead and publish a couple of chapters back-to-back to get the story going, Frankie's being a wonderful muse for the time being so I better take advantage of his availability and kindness as much as I can! ;)  
>A shoutout - thanks to Flower-Of-The-Moon-0822 for being my first reviewer! I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter, I hope you think I'm doing a good job with the characters and that you keep enjoying the story!<br>**

**To anybody else who might be reading this, please don't be shy and _do_let me know what you think. Remember: reviews feed the writing muse! :) I'm open to constuctive criticism and suggestions on how to make the story or characters better, seeing that I am relatively new to the RH world any comments especially o the characters are more than welcome!**

**On we go with the story then... Enjoy and happy reading!**  
><strong><em>xxx<em>**  
><strong><em>Kayla<em>**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 2<strong>

**All but a dream within a dream….?**

Frank N Furter had a mission to accomplish. He was, quite literally, from another planet – his home being Transsexual, Transylvania – and he had been granted permission to visit planet Earth to, officially, '_study_' its inhabitants and possibly be able to somehow demonstrate his discoveries once he came back to his native planet. This, at least, was the official version of the story.

The way things _really _had gone involved a quite problematic dynastic succession with a few unpleasant conspiracy and attempted murder events, following which it had been decided that it would be best for Prince Frank – that being his status back home – to be gone for some time, waiting for the opportune moment to return and, hopefully, succeed in retrieving the throne he had rightfully inherited.

However, the initial estimated time of their permanence on Earth had become longer, and longer, and longer…. And Frank had soon realized that, whether he liked it or not, his return home was going to happen, if ever, in a very, very long time. That was the moment when he also realized that, actually, he was not very keen on returning home at all; and the situation being what it was, he might as well try to make the best of his stay on Earth. Riff raff and Magenta, both of whom had accompanied him, had thankfully been very helpful and supportive, and with the passing years they had been able to settle down in what they now considered their mansion and home. To avoid any inconvenience and keep any eventual suspecting Transylvanians from doubting his real purpose and force him to return, Frank had taken up studying human science and had slowly become quite interested in the subject. Over the years he had acquired a considerable knowledge about the human race, and had discovered a lot of rather… _pleasant_ aspects about living on planet Earth. His exuberant mannerisms and flamboyant style, however, had forced him into a semi-secluded life, to which he had also grown accustomed, to avoid attracting too much unwanted attention to himself.

Following his discoveries on the human race, he had also begun a grand project, which involved the creation of a human being of his own. No, he was not mad. He knew that he often joked quite explicitly about how he was creating a man '_for himself_' and '_for his own amusement_', but he was no fool: he knew that creating one would offer him the right excuse to both stay or return home whenever he wanted, with an actual result to show he had completed his 'mission'.

Frank did not, in any way, have a natural tendency to hate people, nor did he viscerally despise having visitors or guests at the mansion. But ever since an accident regarding undercover Transylvanian spies disguised as humans had threatened to blow up his cover years before, he had been forced to seclude his servants and himself even more from the outside world and had naturally become much more suspecting and mistrusting of strangers.  
>He had been considering all of this when Riff raff had brought him to their new, momentarily unconscious guest. That was the reason why he had shown hesitance to allow her to stay in the first place. When they had taken in Columbia with them, they had already taken a big risk, but they had been lucky and she had never betrayed their trust and secrecy.<p>

The fact that their new arrival was also a young woman probably influenced Frank in believing that she wouldn't be of trouble either. The fact that he had later discovered that she apparently came from a mental institution had however slightly made him regret his decision, although his instinct somehow told him that she was not dangerous. He wondered how she could come from there and was quite curious to know her story.

She was obviously a fugitive, he thought while he went back to work on the complex machinery he would use for his creation. But how had she escaped? Where was she headed? And what had brought her to attempt the daunting mission of escaping from a madhouse?

Well, he thought, if she turned out not to be a psychotic killer, he supposed he _could_ always invite her to stay for a while. After all, he considered ironically, it wasn't often that they got to have friendly visitors around, let alone offer them _hospitality_. Then of course, there was also that _other_ reason which had to do with his permanence on Earth for which she could always be helpful, even though…..

"Master?"

Riff raff's voice tore him from his train of thought and made him jump a foot in the air. He hit his head on one of the machine's metal pieces that was hanging above him and let out a cry of pain.

"RIFF RAFF, YOU IDIOTIC MORON!" he yelled.  
>"I beg your forgiveness, Master," Riff raff apologized, though Frank could've sworn he saw the faintest of smiles tugging at his lips.<br>Frank shot him a fired glare, "What is it?"  
>"Our visitor," the handyman announced, "Is awake and ready to meet you, Master. We merely wait your arrival."<p>

_In the guest room..._

"There, there, don't be afraid, child," Magenta cooed, attempting to keep their new guest calm.

Her efforts were useless, however, because for some strange reason the girl lying in the bed actually seemed quite at ease with the situation. She merely stood with her eyes open, scanning the room around her and occasionally making eye contact with Magenta who stood by her side, but she had yet to utter a word. She seemed confused, as though she couldn't quite remember how she got into that bed in the first place, but she did not seem frightened.

Magenta soon heard Riff raff approaching, and sure enough moments later he made his entrance in the room, followed closely by Frank.

The young girl turned when the two men entered the room to look at them. Her eyes quickly scanned Riff raff and then moved on to Frank, where she stopped and stared. She took in his drank, muscular figure, clad in women's clothing which included a black long-sleeved shirt, black undergarments, thigh high black stockings and knee-high leather boots, and simply stared at him, mesmerized. Frank and the others held their breaths for a moment for fear of a sudden reaction, but she merely kept looking at him, although she did so not so much in a horrified way as in an intrigued way. She seemed quite fascinated with his appearance.

Then Frank met her gaze, and both of them froze. Frank was faced with a pair of emerald green eyes, which he immediately found extremely beautiful. Frank was quite a lover for beautiful things, and he recognized a beauty when he saw one. The girl's eyes kept staring at him with a curious glint shining behind them, and Frank returned the gaze with his own intense greyish-blue eyes.

"This is the Master," he heard Riff raff explain.

He forced himself to focus on the current situation and stepped up besides the bed, sitting down by the girl's feet while managing to still keep eye contact with her.

"Hello," he finally spoke after a few moments of silence, his thick English accent wrapped in his deep velvety voice. "How are you feeling?"

She looked at him for another few silent moments, then finally spoke with a delicate voice.

"Is this a dream?"

Frank looked away from her, shaking his head and chuckling at her innocent question, "Oh, it is decidedly not, darling, I'm afraid we're not in Wonderland anymore. This is quite real and we are all quite real, I can assure you," he looked back at her, "We – um, decided to offer you a more… hospitable place to stay rather than the woods, given it's quite a bad time to play camping-out." He paused and then gave her a small smile, "What's your name, dear?"

"Roxanne," she replied vaguely, now diverting her eyes from him to look around once more, "What is this place? Where am I?" she looked back at him, "Who are you?"  
>"My, my, we have quite a bit of questions, don't we?" Frank replied, only gently mocking her comprehensible confusion, before grinning at her once more, "Don't worry darling, you're safe now. We don't want to hurt you. These are Magenta, Columbia, and Riff raff," he introduced his gang, indicating each one as he spoke, then returning to look at her, "I am Dr Frank -"<br>"You're a doctor?" the girl's eyes widened, and she suddenly seemed to become agitated. She pushed herself up from the bed, as if trying to get away from him, and her eyes began to scan the room frantically as her breath hitched.  
>Frank frowned at her sudden reaction, but saw fit to immediately calm her, "No, no, don't worry darling, I'm not an <em>actual <em>doctor, that's just what they call me."  
>The girl stopped fidgeting, though she eyed him suspiciously, "You're….not?"<br>"Decidedly not, my dear," he firmly reassured her, "My name is Dr. Frank N Furter, but I am merely a – er, scientist. I have nothing to do with actual doctors." He gave her a dashing smile to convince her even more, and she seemed to believe him.

"Now, Roxie dear," he told her, affectionately diminishing her name and placing a hand gently on her knee, "Do me a favour and tell Magenta what you would like to eat and drink. She'll have your food ready in a jiffy. Then you can eat, wash up, and rest some more." He got up, leaving her side, "Both her and Riff raff are at your service if you need anything. I'll be back to check on you later, but if you need me just have Riff raff come give me a call and I'll be here straight away. Okay?" he turned to leave.

"Wait," she stopped him, and he turned back around, "Don't you want to know who I am? Or where I came from?"

Frank shook his head and smiled as if she found her question cute. He walked back to the bed and answered, "No need for that now, dear, you really must only worry about getting some rest now. Besides," he added with a chuckle, leaning towards her face and gently placing a hand under her chin and tilting her head up to look at him, "_I can already tell you're a simply delicious sweet little girl._" He grinned at her and stood back up, "Why ever should I worry about anything else right now?" He gave her a wink and walked to the door, turning to his servants, he ordered, "See to it that she is properly looked after," and then gave her one last look and said, "Rest well, sweet Roxie. I will see you later."

And with that, he left the room once more. Magenta and Riff raff immediately started asking her questions about food, drinks, clean clothes and warm towels, but Roxie's attention remained captivated on the door, and on the man who had just left through it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thought? Comments? Considerations? Ideas? I realize it's taking me a while to get the plot going, but I promise you the story will start to pick up pace after these first couple of introduction pieces.**

I figured it wouldn't be too OOC for Frankie to act like this with a total stranger, considering how he greeted Brad and Janet I sort of came to the conclusion there isn't really a reason to suppose he doesn't enjoy having guests or would deny giving them hospitality. Besides, there's going to be a reason why he's welcoming Roxie so warmly to stay - apart from the obvious fact that she is a young and pretty lady, of course.  
>What do you think? Am I right? Review and let me know! :)<p>

**Lots of love and to our next update!  
>XOXOXO, Kayla <strong>


	3. CH3: Hospitality

**A/N: New chapter! Thank you for reading the story so far! Like I said, I know that things are moving a bit slow but I promise you that after this chapter the story will begin to pick up the pace! **

**A big, sincere, thank you to my reviewers:**

**Unquestionably Unhinged**** – I hope you enjoy this next chapter too!  
><strong>**Flower-Of-The-Moon-0822**** – I'm glad you think I'm doing a good job with the characters, it's good to know I'm not the only one who thinks Frank would honestly be hospitable, especially, like you say, seeing how nonchalantly he greeted Brad and Janet… and they were only looking for a phone!  
>and <strong>**Shining Petals**** – I'll do my best to turn this 'little' fic into 'a bit more than little', I totally know what you mean with having trouble finding good OC fics, so I hope you keep liking mine!**

**Thank you all for letting me know what you think!  
><strong>

**Now… I know you're out there, readers… So follow their example and let me know what you think too! Don't be shy! I won't bit you, I promise! :) **

**The next chapter will be up in a few days' time, this here is the first time I had to actually start dealing with the characters a bit more so as always let me know if they're all right or if somebody is off-character.**

**Enjoy and to our next update! :D  
>xoxo<br>K.S.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 3<br>****Hospitality**

"Master, Magenta is busy preparing dinner. Would you like her to ask our guest to join you in the dining room when it is ready?"

Frank looked up from his notes at Riff raff. "Haven't you checked on her yet?"  
>"Magenta went to see how she was doing half an hour ago," Riff raff answered, "She said the girl was still sleeping. Should I tell her to go wake her up for dinner?" he repeated.<p>

Frank shook his head and let out a small sigh, "Riff raff, don't you notice _anything_?" he demanded, before continuing matter-of-factly, "She was heavily drugged on medication. Morphine, possibly. Or any other of those dreadful drugs they use for sedation. Poor dear couldn't tell the difference between reality and a dream, I doubt we'd be doing her any good waking her up to force her to sit down for a meal. You saw the state you found her in, the medication is still affecting her. I saw it clearly when I talked to her. She must rest, and until she gets up on her own we must be patient and allow her to recover. She'll eat and clean up and sleep and whatnot whenever she feels like it."

"Very well, Master," Riff raff obliged, retreating from the room.  
>"Oh, and Riff raff?"<br>"Yes, Master?"  
>"Remember to call me –"<br>"When she wakes up. Yes, Master."

* * *

><p>Roxanne opened her eyes.<p>

She was breathing heavily. It felt as if she had been running for miles. Her muscles ached and her heart was pounding in her chest. Sweat glistened on her forehead and chest, and her hands were trembling slightly. Funnily enough, she was half convinced she'd wake up and find herself lying on a forest floor.

Instead, as she began to make sense of her surroundings she saw that she was in a big, luxurious bedroom, lying on a comfortable king sized bed and clad in her underclothes. Suddenly the memories came flooding back to her and she remembered where she was. She thought back on her previous meeting with Magenta, Columbia and Riff raff. And as she remembered Frank, she felt a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. So it hadn't all been a dream, she thought. No, she corrected herself, this _has _to be a dream. Even if there's people who look real in it.

Oh well. She might as well go with it, until it lasted anyway.

She let her head fall back into the soft pillow behind her and stared at the ceiling. She remembered Magenta offering her clean towels and helping her to the bathroom to clean herself up, politely reminding her that she'd be standing outside the door if she needed her. It had taken Roxanne several minutes to pull her thoughts and energies together enough to be able to fetch one of the soft white towels Magenta had left her, and drag herself to the sink, where she had washed her face energetically with cool water. She had carefully avoided looking at herself in the mirrors, fearing what her appearance would be like at the moment, and had instead concentrated on trying to get as cleaned up as much as she could before she slipped inside a new pair of underclothes the maid had presented to her.

When she had walked back into the bedroom, she had found Magenta waiting patiently for her on one of the antique chairs set up besides the wall. Magenta had seen her and gotten to her feet, smiling politely at her and asking her if she wanted anything to eat. Roxanne had kindly declined, feeling the familiar tingling feeling of drowsiness begin to creep over her once more.

Now, as she looked around, Roxanne wondered where everybody was. She wondered what to do, she was still feeling a bit drowsy but also felt strong enough to get on her feet. She decided to poke her head out of the bedroom door and slipped out of the covers, finding a pair of elegant slippers waiting for her at the foot of the bed. She wore them and got up, fetching a satin robe that had also been put up for her use, then cautiously inched her way to the door, testing her balance to see if she was capable of walking without feeling dizzy.

She reached the door and opened it, poking her head outside into the long, shadowy corridor and peering curiously around. There was nobody around. Seeing that she was actually quite steady on her feet, she decided to take the risk and stepped outside into the hallway, heading towards the lit end that seemed to lead to another floor. In the silence, she heard the muffled clattering of plates and silverware being used. Through one of the glass-paned windows she saw that it was now dark, and she deduced that it was probably time for dinner. Tightening her silk robe around her with a knot, she made her way towards the noise.

* * *

><p>"Riff raff, pass me the wine please."<p>

"Yes, Master."  
>Riff raff passed the wine bottle to Frank, who thanked him and poured himself a cup of red liquid. Magenta crossed over him, filling his plate with mashed potatoes and other vegetables. Frank smirked at the food.<br>"Vegetables? _Again?"_ he flinched slightly.  
>"Now now, Master," Magenta replied with her peculiar accent, "Eat up. You've been working very hard on your project, you must keep your energy levels high."<br>Frank groaned and tilted his head back in defeat, then returned to his plate and began to cut his food. Columbia and Riff raff, sitting at opposite sides of the table, were giggling under their breaths, exchanging small sly smiles. Frank raised an eyebrow at their amusement.  
>"Wipe those smiles from your faces, you two," he warned them, "There's nothing funny about having to eat steamed vegetables." He mumbled under his breath, "Just because <em>you two <em>don't mind having to do it."

"So what's with little sleeping beauty?" Columbia asked Magenta. Frank looked up in interest.  
>"She was sleeping when I came to check on her," the maid answered, sitting down to her own meal, "I can't tell when she'll be waking up but the Master told me not to disturb her."<br>"That's right," Frank concurred, biting into an asparagus. He wrinkled his face at its taste and then added, "She'll wake up when she feels like it. She's in need of rest, no point in forcing her to join us when she can't keep her eyes open. We shall let her have her sleep, it'll do her good."

"This….girl," Magenta asked tentatively after a few moments' silence.

Frank looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Yes?"

"She looks… very young."

"Very."

"And innocent."

"Quite."

"And very pretty…. Don't you think?"

"Well, I'm sorry Magenta," Frank replied sarcastically, "I failed to notice her looks while I was busy trying to calm her down and convince her that she was not having a medically-induced hallucination."

An unconvinced silence followed his words.

"Master…"

"All right," he snapped, "Yes, yes, I did noticed her. Yes, I do believe she is pretty. Very. Satisfied now?"

Magenta returned to her meal with an indeed satisfied little smile on her lips. "A little," she replied. Riff raff looked at Frank and dared to ask another more direct question.

"Master, how do you intend to behave when she-"

"Roxie!" Frank called out suddenly, interrupting Riff raff in the middle of his sentence.

They all turned to see Roxanne, standing in the dining room's doorway looking slightly embarrassed.  
>Frank immediately got to his feet. "Roxie darling," he said, setting his napkin down as he pushed his chair away from him, "Please come join us, we didn't hear you arriving." The others waved at her and welcomed her as well. Frank reached her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, guiding her towards the dining table. "Have you been wandering around the mansion alone? I'm dreadfully sorry, I hope you didn't get lost."<p>

"I was looking for you," the girl explained.

"I see," Frank answered, letting her sit in the spot besides his. "Are you feeling any better? Are you hungry?"

"Well," Roxanne said, pausing to think as she eyed the others' plates, "I guess I _am _a little famished."

"Wonderful," Frank said, motioning Riff raff to fetch another plate, "Magenta's cooked plenty of food for all of us, you can ask for something else if you're not a –" he eyed his own vegetable-stashed plate and made a face, "Er - _vegetable_ fan."

Magenta sneered slightly at him, then smiled kindly at Roxanne when the girl said vegetables were fine and took her plate to fill it with food. Roxanne thanked her and began to eat, feeling slightly apprehensive with all of them looking at her as if she were some sort of fascinating creature.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your meal," she finally broke the silence, feeling embarrassed.

"Oh don't be ridiculous darling," Frank dismissed her apology with a wave of his hand, "We're delighted to have you here with us."

"Yeah, it's not often we get guests around here," Columbia agreed.

"It gets lonely around the mansion," Magenta mused.

"The Master lives a very… private life," Riff raff explained. "Except for a few of his official annual affairs. There's one we will be celebrating quite soon…"  
>"Yes yes, quite lovely Riff raff, thank you," Frank interrupted him, returning his attention to Roxanne, "So, Roxie… You don't mind me calling you that, do you?"<p>

Roxanne – or, rather, Roxie, as Frank called her, shook her head.

"Splendid. I have a knack for nicknames," he smiled at her, before adding, "Are you finding yourself comfortable in your room?"

"Yes, well," Roxie replied, setting her knife and fork down and wiping her mouth with her napkin, "I'll only be here for the night, I don't intend to take advantage of your hospitality, so I'll be gone in the morning, but the room-"

"Nonsense!" Frank exclaimed, "Haven't you heard? We're all thrilled to have you here, there's no sense in speaking about taking advantage of anything or anybody!"

"But _how _can you say that?" Roxie couldn't help but respond, "I mean," she said, looking around at each of the members at the table, "You took me in your house from the woods. You let me sleep in your rooms. You're being so kind and hospitable with me. You don't even know who I am. You don't know where I come from or what my story is. I could be a murderer for all you know!" she moved her eyes back on Frank, who was eyeing her intently, "How could you possibly behave like this, having me here?"

Riff raff, Magenta and Columbia looked at Frank for an answer.

"Well," Frank answered, after a pause, "I may be wrong, but you hardly seem like the psychotic axe-murdering type to me," he paused again, getting up and turning towards the big windows set at the far end of the room, "Of course, you are more than welcome to reject our hospitality and leave whenever you wish, even though _I_ would personally not choose this weather to stay outside," as if to emphasize his point, a distant lighting illuminated the dark cloud-filled sky outside. Roxie gulped and shivered, remembering the cold from the rain and the wind in the woods. Frank turned back towards her, walking back to the table, "We're not doing this for any reason, Roxie, apart from simply trying to be nice and caring for you."

Riff raff and Magenta had begun to take care of the dishes, stacking the dirty ones in a pile and stashing away the remaining food. Columbia lazily gazed at them, occasionally helping to pass a bottle of water or a used fork. Roxie watched them and then looked back at Frank, who was still eyeing her and waiting for a response, then moved her gaze away.

"I'm sorry if I sounded accusing, I didn't mean to offend you," she explained, while the others kept busying themselves with the clearing of the table. Frank nodded understandingly, "No offense taken," he replied.

"But, please," Roxie added suddenly, looking him right in the eyes, "At least let me explain why I'm here. It's the least I can do, so then you'll be able to decide if I still deserve your hospitality or not."

The servants froze for a moment hearing her words, and once again they all looked at Frank, waiting for his reaction. He seemed to ponder Roxie's request for a moment, then nodded and straightened himself up, "Very well," he replied.

"Come. Let us have a seat in the library, where we can be more comfortable and have more…" he eyed his curious domestics meaningfully, "Privacy."

With that, he led the way out of the dining room, Roxie following him as the dining room door closed on the clattering of plates behind them. They moved along another long corridor, until Frank turned to open a big oak room and then moved aside to allow her to enter though it. Roxie found herself in a large, antique library. The shelves were packed with books, a fire was burning in the fireplace, and two comfortable looking chairs stood in the middle of a Persian carpet. Roxie was busy examining the room, when she felt Frank brushing past her, the physical contact sending unexpected tingles up her arm.

Frank seemed to eye her surprised expression, he grinned at her and gestured towards the chairs, "Shall we?" Roxie followed him and took a seat opposite him, watching him slump in the velvety cushions as he eyed her lazily, waiting for her to begin.

"Well sweetpea, go on," he encouraged her, "I'm madly curious to hear your little story."

Roxie took a deep breath, before she began, "I'm afraid you won't be so lighthearted when I tell you, Doctor."

"Oh, please," he said, before propping himself up and leaning closer towards her with another mischievous grin on his face, "_And call me Frank_, darling."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: OK, so we're about to discover what Roxie's story is! :D What was she doing in an asylum? and how did she get out? And most of all, what will Frank think of her after he knows her story? **

**What did you think of the chapter? Good? Bad? Is the plot moving on nicely? Are the characters good? Is Frank... Frank-ish enough? Leave a review and let me know! :D**

**PS. Brad and Janet will come along soon too, I promise!**

**To our next update!  
><strong>**xoxoxo  
>Kayla <strong>


	4. CH4: Roxie's Reminiscence

**A/N: Aaand I'm back! Sorry for the long wait folks, I had to finish up with exams so I wasn't able to write when I wanted to. Updates will come on a much more regular basis from now on, I'm planning for at least one chapter per week!**

**Little detail: this should probably be the last 'introductory' chapter, I'll start moving the story on much quicker from the next one – even because, let's face it folks, I want to get to writing the 'good stuff' *cough*Frankromance*cough* just as much as you guys want to get to reading it, right? ;))  
>Also, Brad and Janet should pop up soon enough, I'm thinking another few chapters to go!<strong>

**THANK YOU once more to my readers, and as usual my shoutouts to my reviewers, _Unquestionably Unhinged_ – hope you like Roxie's story! ;)****and _Flower-Of-The-Moon-0822_ - I have actually already read your story and enjoyed it, so I'm probably guessing I thought of leaving a review but forgot? –facepalm- forgive me, I'll remedy that ASAP. Also, yes, I do realize that I made Frankie somewhat 'softer' than what we're used to but, to be completely honest, there's a reason why he's acting like this – reason, I might add, which will probably be revealed in the last few chapters.**

**That's all for now, my unconvential readers, so enjoy the next chapter and remember… Reviews feed the cute writing monster! ;) Happy reading, and To our next update!**

**xxxx**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 4<strong>

**Roxie's Reminiscence**

Roxie turned her face towards the fireplace, taking a deep breath.

"I was raised an orphan," she began, "My parents died when I was very young, and the only other parent who could take care of me was an aunt who was related to my father. I had to move from New York to Denton where she lived, and I grew up with her. She wasn't very nice, she'd never been married let alone had children, so she didn't care much for me. She used to bring men at the house when she thought I was asleep. She liked to live a fancy life, but the only way she could afford that was to bring home rich and usually unattractive men who would keep her as a mistress until they got tired of her or she got tired of them and switched to the next one. I was never much of a concern for her, until I began growing up. She would make me clean the house and take care of the garden and the groceries when I was home from school, and she hardly paid any more attention to me than that. I was seventeen the night the accident that brought me to the asylum happened…."

She looked away, her voice trailing off. Frank, who had been caught up with her story, realized that the memories must be disturbing her.

"You know," he said tentatively, "You don't have to go through this…."

"No, I want to," she cut him off, turning her face to look at him now and forcing a weak smile, "I'm the one who wanted to in the first place." She cleared her throat, "So…. One night, aunt Milly – that was her name – brought home a new friend of hers, and told me to prepare dinner. She left the man in the living room to watch television while she went in her room to get ready for dinner and I cooked. At one point, I was busy cutting the piece of beef we were going to eat, when I suddenly heard the man enter the kitchen and walk towards me. He started trying to make small talk, but I was determined to ignore him, like I always did with all of aunt Milly's men. Then suddenly, I found myself hearing his appreciative comments, which got more and more explicit, with which he was implying that I was almost too beautiful to resist. I tried my best to keep ignoring him, but something apparently must've angered him, because the next thing I knew he was telling me to look at him and when I refused to do so he grabbed my waist and tried to force me down on the kitchen counter. I tried to scream but he shut my mouth with his hand and started touching me while trying to hold me still. I – " Roxie drew a deep breath, her eyes now shining with tears and her heartbeat pounding, "I didn't know what to do, I was so panicked that I stopped thinking and when he let me go and turned me over to face him I held on to the knife that I was holding and…" her voice broke, she couldn't finish the sentence.

Frank stood waiting patiently for her to continue, respectfully silent.

After a few moments, Roxie closed her eyes and took another deep breath, then continued, "After I stabbed him, his eyes went blank and he fell limp down to the floor. When my aunt came in, all she could see was the kitchen floor soaked in blood and the body lying at my feet, with me holding a kitchen knife and my clothes splattered with blood. She didn't question what had actually happened. Not for one second. She called the police and I was taken to the hospital to have a rape inspection. Well, they couldn't find proof that he had raped me, and my aunt kept telling them that I had killed him, that it was all my fault, that I was mad. So they took some more tests on me, psychological ones. Next thing I knew, I was signing for my release from the hospital and instead of taking a cab ride home I got stowed away in an ambulance and driven off to the Mental ward. I never saw my aunt again. I barely caught a glimpse of her from the ambulance, signing the papers to have me secluded in the asylum. The nurse that was escorting me thought I should consider myself lucky. He said that if my aunt hadn't ushered a psychological check up they would've had me locked up in jail, definitely. He thought she was doing me a favour. I got to the ward and they locked me up. They started taking all these weird tests on me, trying to figure out what was wrong. I never objected to any of it. I had nowhere to go. I had nobody to go home to. I just wished I could shut down and never wake up again."

She was silent once more, and this time Frank spoke up.

"What made you decide to escape?"

She looked up at him, with a half crooked smile, "Do you want the short list or the long list?" she shook her head, "At the ward…. They didn't treat me well, of course. None of us were treated well. Not like we deserved. Not like…. _Humans._" She sounded bitter. Frank raised an eyebrow at this last comment.

"And at one point, I just…. I snapped. At one point, the yelling, and the beatings, and the…." She shuddered, "…Violence, of any sort, and the constant sedation, and the seclusion… I just realized that they weren't trying to help us, they were trying to kill us faster than we could kill ourselves." She paused and bit her lip, her eyes lost in space, "The night I ran away I had been told that they were losing their hopes with me. They had started giving me electro shocks to try a new therapy, but that wasn't working out. They were going to increase my shock treatments, or else I would be lobotomized within a week." She looked up at Frank, "That's the moment where I realized I wasn't ready to die yet."

Frank nodded silently, and she lowered her gaze and shrugged.

"So, I gave it my last shot and tried to escape. I didn't know how I was going to do it. I just figured I had nothing left to lose." She mused, "I can't believe I made it so far. They gave me such a big dosage of morphine that night–" Frank tried to hide his grin of satisfaction in hearing he had been right – "I thought that alone was going to kill me if the doctors didn't, once they found me. And then I ran until my feet would carry me, until I fainted," she looked Frank in the eye, "And now here I am." Silence filled the air once more for a few moments, while Frank waited for her to conclude. "I don't know what makes you act so hospitable with me, I am so much more lucky finding myself here and still being alive than I could ever have hoped for, so I really shouldn't be putting up such a scene, but… I wanted you to know." She lowered her eyes to the ground, "You're free to kick me out."

Frank seemed to rethink everything he had just heard, his eyes first examining Roxie's face and then wandering around the room to the window from which they could see the outline of the forest where the girl had been found. He got up and paced around the room, his eyes glued to the ground, apparently still thinking the situation through. Roxie followed him with her eyes, waiting for him to look up and tell her she could very well leave right then and there. After another few moments, he spoke.

"Roxie," he said, stopping besides the chair where he had been sitting and leaning on it, "Your story is indeed quite… remarkable. I understand why you wanted to tell me about yourself. And I appreciate your honesty. If I may, though, let me ask," he crossed his arms over his chest, "Where exactly where you planning to go, once you'd escaped?"

The question caught Roxie off guard. "W-well," she stuttered, "I…. I didn't really have a plan. I never really had anywhere to go, anyway. I just… I figured I could keep walking until I found a train, or a bus, or any sort of transportation that could get me out of the city…. I –" she paused, as if she were holding back some sort of information.

"Yes?" Frank asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The thing is," she said cautiously, "If… if I managed to get away for long enough – if I found a way to not be discovered for a certain period of time, the doctors… well, they would stop looking for me. They would suppose I had died, probably, because of the withdraw from all those drugs and medications, or because of… any other circumstances. It's happened before," she added.

"I see," Frank said, considering this last bit of information, "So then, you say if you disappeared from the… face of the Earth, so to speak, for long enough, you'd be free?"

"I can't be sure of that," she answered honestly, "But I know a couple of patients ran away from the ward and were never found again. Nobody questioned their disappearance much after a while, it's not like they really care anyway."

Frank nodded understandingly and then seemed to come to a conclusion, "Well then, you've made a valid point for yourself. Welcome to the mansion!" he proclaimed.

"Wait…. What?"

"I said, welcome to the mansion," he repeated, matter-of-factly, "You can stay. I've listened to your story, I've heard what you had to say, and I've decided that you can stay here to hide out."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Well, you've stated yourself you've nowhere else to go," he replied, "And, honestly, by what you've told me it seems like the only victim in this whole story is you. What good would it be to let you wander off without any idea of where to go or what to do, and just wait for them to find you?" he added, "The mansion is well secluded, nobody ever comes up here. There's plenty of space for everyone. If allowing you to stay and disappear from the rest of the world for a while will help you gain back your freedom, well then," he shrugged, "I don't see why I shouldn't help you, then."

Roxie got up from her chair and walked up to Frank, looking at him as though she couldn't quite believe what he was saying. She had to tilt her head up slightly to look him in the eyes, he was taller than her by about a head.

"Are you quite sure of this?" she asked.

He returned her gaze just as intensely, "Positive." He spoke with a low voice, and something in the way he said it made Roxie smile. Suddenly, she felt more aware of the distance between them, and an unexpected shiver ran up her spine. Frank seemed to notice this and smirked.

"Are you feeling…. Cold, darling?" he asked half-mockingly.

Ironic he should ask, thought Roxie as she shook her head distractedly, seeing that the only thing she was now feeling was an inexplicable rush of warmth which seemed to increase as Frank kept unashamedly staring at her, making her feel her cheeks and face flushing with heat. She felt a tingling sensation burning at the back of her scalp and spreading down her neck. Roxie mentally shook herself when she realized that she was for some reason bluntly staring at Frank's lips, but he seemed to notice this as well and chuckled with further amusement.

"Oh, Roxanne," he said, surprising the girl when he took her hand in his and lifted it up to his face, "I can already tell we are going to have a _ball_ with you here!" He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, winking at her. If the physical contact alone had sent a jolt up Roxie's hand, these last two gestures made her very guts twitch in a most inappropriate way. With a devilish grin, he kept his gaze on her and added mockingly, "Welcome back to Wonderland, little Alice."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Uuuuhh... Looks like Frank's charm is already working its magic on little Roxie! This will be good (I promise!)... ;)  
><strong>**Anyway, that's Roxie's story - or, better,should we say... _her side_ of the story ... ?**

**So? Thoughts? Ideas? What did you think? Love it? Hate it? Once again, I do realize Frank might seem OOC, but bear with me, if you stick with me through the whole story I PROMISE it will all make sense - hopefully - to you in the end! ;)**

**R&R , please! Lots of love to all!  
>-K- <strong>


	5. CH5: Dancing into the Time Slip

**A/N: Hello, my unconventional friends! Sorry for the wait, this chapter ended up being so complex that I had to divide it into two parts, so for those of you who are enjoying the story I'm giving you a treat and putting up two chapters tonight! **

**THANK YOU to my reviewers! I appreciate your comments so much; I've just remembered that I can answer reviews individually so I'll thank you one by one because it's the least I can do :) **

**SO, without further ado, I give you…. The next chapter! On with the story!**

**Enjoy and let me know what you think! :)**

**Lots of love,  
><strong>**xoxo  
><strong>**K.S.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 5<strong>

**Dancing Into the Time Slip **

The days at the mansion passed quickly for Roxie, and soon they turned into weeks. The young woman adjusted to her new life quite easily, though at first she kept feeling as though she were more of a nuisance than anything else. Her mindset, however, changed with the passing of the days.

During the first few days, she spent the majority of her time in her bedroom to recover completely. Frank made sure to keep a watchful eye on her, constantly sending Magenta and Riff raff to check how she was doing and give her some new medicine, or food, or new clothes, or whatever else she might need, whenever he was too busy in the laboratory to go to her himself.

Unfortunately, the occasions when he _was _able to go visit her himself became more and more rare with each passing day, for as Roxie grew stronger Frank began to return to his work more constantly, spending once again long hours in the laboratory. Within a week Roxie was back on her feet and had fully recovered, but by then Frank had taken to spending whole mornings and afternoons secluded, so he had ordered his servants to look after her and make sure she felt at ease with her new home. So, Roxie had begun to know Columbia, Magenta and Riff raff better.

At first, feeling helpless and useless, and seeing how big the house was, she had asked Magenta how she could help her with her chores – though, to be quite honest, she noticed the housemaid seemed to lack some basics of the common idea of 'house cleaning', since the mansion seemed to be in permanent need of cleaning and dusting and fixing, despite the long hours Magenta apparently spent working.

Initially, the maid objected, insisting that Frank would never have a guest cleaning the house and scrubbing the pavements, but once Roxie pointed out that _they_ were the ones granting her the favour of offering her hospitality and helping out with a few chores seemed like the minimum payback she could give, Magenta finally gave in and allowed her to help her around the house with the more easygoing tasks. The two spent the afternoons moving from room to room, dusting and sweeping and cleaning and re-organizing the mansion.

It _was _quite peculiar how Magenta got along with her duties, Roxie could now observe first-handed, as one day she noticed how, to the maid, 'dusting' meant mindlessly flicking a big, tattered feather duster over a shelf as she merrily chatted with Roxie, without apparently so much as a glance or worry towards what she was actually cleaning. When Roxie kindly pointed out that the shelf that she had been 'dusting' was filled with precious little ornaments that could be broken if she wasn't careful, Magenta simply stopped for a moment to look at the ornaments and then shrugged, as though it were no big deal to her. Despite her peculiar ways of housekeeping, Roxie enjoyed talking with Magenta and spending her time with her. Riff raff was the person with whom she spent less time, because he was usually assisting Frank in the lab or running out and about to town to accomplish some task Frank had given him.

Columbia, on the other hand, sometimes joined Magenta and Roxie during their afternoon conversations. Roxie enjoyed her company as well, although she couldn't really figure her out completely – the groupie was kind to her, of course, and they usually had a good time chatting about girlish stuff, but sometimes she gave Roxie the impression of being… observed, as though there were some reason why Columbia wasn't being completely honest with her, or as if she didn't completely approve of the girl's presence at the mansion. She hoped she was wrong.

Roxie felt more and more at ease in the mansion as the days went by, and soon three whole weeks had passed and she slowly began to feel a change inside her, a feeling that seemed to have begun to bloom and that resembled a vital energy which she couldn't remember having for a very long time – possibly never, in fact.

These content feelings, however, still suffered from occasional, yet quite violent, mood swings, which would usually catch her in the night hours once she had retired to her chambers alone and there was nobody around she could talk to, and sometimes they would cause her insomnia or a feeling of great stress and discomfort which would then show the next morning when she'd present herself to breakfast.

Initially, nobody seemed to notice this issue she struggled with. However, after the first few times that she appeared in such shaken condition in the morning – despite how she insisted nothing was wrong and that she had merely had 'a bad dream' - Frank quickly picked up on what was really going on and learned to read her signs, so that soon he was able to know whether or not she'd had a good night's rest just by looking at her in the morning. When he saw dark circles under her eyes, a pale face and slight tremors breaking through her body, he would know that she hadn't passed a good night, and when this happened he soon took the habit of abandoning the lab for a few hours and would spend the time with her, distracting her and helping her find a way to feel all right once again. Roxie noticed this looking after her that he did, and, though she'd try to weakly protest when he'd decide to abandon his work for her, she secretly felt glad when he did so.

Because the truth was, above all the things she did in the mansion, her favourite one was spending time with Frank.

She couldn't quite explain, but simply being with him always made her feel better, for some reason. Since the moment she had met him, he had captured her attention, fascinating her and intriguing her in a most unusual way. His make up, his outlandish clothes, his mannerisms, his wit and most of all his charm, which seemed to continuously flow from him, all attracted Roxie's interest and she was naturally drawn to him like a magnet. It didn't matter to her where they were or what they did, as long as they were spending time together she enjoyed herself like she did during no other time.

Sometimes Frank would show her around the mansion explaining the different rooms and antique objects and paintings, other times after dinner they would go lounge in the library, but mostly Frank would simply spend time talking to her.

One time, Roxie was wandering around the mansion looking for something to do. She ended up in one of the biggest rooms, which had been set up just like a small theatre, with about sixty seats, lighting, thick blood red curtains and an actual stage. She had never been up on the stage before, and she decided to go take a look at what was behind the curtain.

She climbed the stairs up to the stage and found the switch that pulled the curtains back, drawing them to the sides. The floor was carpeted with a light shade of parquet, and Roxie saw that at the moment there was only a coloured backdrop hanging down at the back of the stage. She examined it more closely and saw that someone was apparently painting something on it which seemed like a half circle drawn up from the ground. The semicircle was painted grey, while the rest of the backdrop was blue. The painting didn't look finished, so Roxie couldn't really tell what it was supposed to represent. She turned her attention to the side of the stage and an object caught her eye: there was a jukebox fixed besides one of the wings. She walked over to it and, after a brief examination, found the activation switch. She paused and bit her lip. Straining her neck back towards the room, she checked to see that no one was around, then she turned back to the jukebox and flicked the switch on.

The jukebox lit up, and she pressed one of the switches making a nice, slightly upbeat tune begin to play. Roxie couldn't recognize the music, but she enjoyed the sound of it and closed her eyes to listen. Soon she began to sway her hips to the rhythm, moving back to the centre of the stage and continuing to dance absentmindedly lost in her own world. At one point, feeling as though somebody were watching her, she opened her eyes and let out a small gasp of surprise when she saw Frank standing right beneath the stage, observing her with his hands across his chest.

"Oh, Frank, I'm sorry, I intruded-"

"No, no, I'm sorry to interrupt you darling," he apologized, walking up the steps to join her, "By all means, don't stop because of me," he continued, raising an eyebrow at her, "You were quite the dancer up there, you know?"

"I'm sorry, Frank, I shouldn't have turned on –"

He gently shushed her with a gesture of his hand, then beckoned her to stay where she was. Roxie, still extremely embarrassed, watched him walk over to the jukebox and pressed another switch. A slow, moody tune filled the air. Frank went back to Roxie and offered her his hand with a smile. "May I?"

Roxie was taken aback for a second, then smiled sheepishly back at him and took his hand, letting him guide her close to him and place her arm on his shoulder while he placed his hand on her hip and held her other hand with his. He guided her and they began to sway to the music, Roxie initially laughing light heartedly and Frank exaggerating some moves on purpose to entertain her. At one point, however, the laughing stopped as Roxie looked in Frank's eyes, and suddenly the mood shifted in the air around them. Suddenly feeling more self-conscious, Roxie initially lowered her head to avert his gaze. Then, Frank have her a small smile, and unexpectedly pulled her towards him even more; after a moment's hesitance Roxie lowered her head on his shoulder and slightly clung to him a bit more. They stayed like that, swaying back and forth on the stage, without talking, listening to the music play. She wouldn't dare say it to anyone, maybe even admit it to herself at first, but that one moment they shared became her most beloved memory of their time together.


	6. CH6: Firsts are What Matter

**A/N: And, as promised, here is the other new chapter! And, also, might I add...FIIIINALLY we get to see some Frankie romance! YAY! :) So without further ado, please Enjoy and….reviewreviewreview! (I'll give you cookies if you do! ;D)**

**ALSO, since I figured I actually CAN'T respond single-handedly to your reviews...SHOUTOUTS!**

**Flower-of-the-moon-0822 - thank you as always for your review, I hope you'll continue to like the story and of course I STILL need to review yours, so I'll go ahead and do that hopefully before you get to read this :D**  
><strong><span>NationGentaOBrien<span> - giggles- why, no need to excuse yourself, excitement for RH and Frank is always welcome! :D thanks for the review, I find it extra-cool because I also read your fanfic and I thought it was really cool, so I'll have to review that as well now! yay!**  
><strong><span>SammiRichGurl<span> - thank you very much! I hope you like these new chapters too :D**

**And so, with that...ON WE GO! :)**

**Lots of love,  
><strong>**xoxox  
><strong>**KS**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 6<strong>

**Firsts are what matter**

Apart from the event in the theatre, Roxie found that the nights she and would spend chatting in the library with Frank were the ones she preferred the most, because those were the moments that felt more intimate to her. He was so smart, she was mesmerized at how he simply seemed to know everything, about anything they would talk about. He would fascinate her with his stories and theories and ideas, and most of all she noticed that he enjoyed talking about anything that had to do with science. She'd listened to him explain the grand project he was working on, which would bring to an incredible evolution in bio chemistry, and she was captured by how much emphasis and passion he seemed to convey to her while he spoke. She was almost embarrassed by how easily he could influence her, or impress her, or simply leave her at a loss for words, hypnotized by him, but she figured he probably had this effect on people. Riff raff and Magenta seemed to usually be immune to his charm, and they seemed to merely show a great deal of respect and attention towards him. Columbia, on the other hand, seemed equally fascinated by him at times.

Roxie would watch them talking at the dinner table, openly flirting with each other, Frank playfully wooing Columbia and Columbia giggling girlishly, smacking his arm just as playfully when he'd say something inappropriate and batting her lashes at his brooding gazes. Roxie was not foolish enough to think that Columbia was anything more than what she was - a groupie - to Frank (and she seemed quite happy to be so, too) but the more time she spent with Frank and the more she began to notice that something would change when she'd watch the two of them together. One night, as she eyed one of their usual flirty scenes at the dinner table from her seat, she felt a peculiar twitch in her stomach. She was absentmindedly eating her food as she watched Frank give Columbia one of his trademark grins and Columbia respond to his comment with a high-pitch squeal, and she found herself rolling her eyes at her and actually finding her just the slightest bit annoying, after all did she _have _to be so obviously mooning over him _at all times_? – then, she suddenly snapped out of her own daze. What was she doing? And then, a doubt suddenly rained down on her for the first time: was she _jealous _of Columbia?

The jolt in her stomach seemed to give her an answer, and she abruptly straightened herself upright, setting her fork down. The others noticed her sudden change of mood and eyed her curiously, but she quickly tried to shake it off by faking an awkward cough and a sudden need for water. Everybody else seemed to take the bait, but Frank eyed her with suspicion and Roxie had to fight with all her might to keep herself from blushing madly in front of his inquisitive gaze. Roxie drained her glass and tried her best to carry on with the meal pretending as though nothing was wrong, but the awkwardness of her own feelings made it a difficult task. Frank also returned to his meal, but spent the rest of it being much more silent, occasionally eyeing Roxie. Also quite curiously, she noticed, his interest towards Columbia's renewed flirty attempts seemed to drop quite noticeably.

They finished dinner with a course of meat and a few glassed of red wine. Riff raff and Magenta got to clearing the table as usual, while Columbia appeared bored and stood in her seat playing with a strand of her red hair. Roxie got up to help clear the table, though she was feeling a bit dizzy from the wine, but Magenta told her to sit back down. Then Frank suddenly got up, eyeing her and telling her to leave the clearing to the servants.

"Come, Roxie," he then added, keeping a determined eye contact with her, "Let us go to the library." Roxie stared back at him and simply nodded, getting up to follow him. Columbia eyed them intently and suddenly got up as well, but Frank immediately cut her off, "You will be welcome to join us in a while, Columbia."

Roxie stared at him, feeling even more shocked, while Columbia stuttered helplessly for a moment before recomposing herself and then replying in her high pitched voice, "Don't worry, I won't bother," before excusing herself and briskly walking out of the room, 'accidentally', slamming the door behind her as she left. Riff raff smirked, Magenta raised her eyebrows knowingly, and Frank sigh loudly and shook his head, as though he were dealing with a stubborn child. He then eyed Roxie once more expectantly, gesturing towards the other door with his head, "Shall we, Roxie?"

The girl nodded and followed him, but she couldn't help noticing the look Riff raff and Magenta exchanged as she passed them by before she left the dining room and followed Frank into the hallway. He was already walking towards the library, and she hurried to catch up with him.

"I….I was glad Magenta didn't make vegetables tonight again," she said, attempting to break the silence with any excuse she could find, "I was really not in the mood-"

"Do you know why Columbia is here?"

Frank interrupted her with the question just as they entered the library, cutting Roxie's useless chatter off and catching her off guard. Roxie felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment, as she looked away from him and stuttered to try and find a quick and acceptable answer, "Well, I….It's not like it's any of my –"

"I took her in when she had barely turned nineteen," Frank interrupted her once again, striding past her towards the fireplace to light the fire, "She was a groupie following around some rock band across the country, and when she saw me she apparently fell head over heels. I'd never had any company up here apart from Magenta and Riff raff, so I figured I could invite her over. I ended up enjoying her company, as –" he paused to find the words, "- _extravagant _and slightly _exuberant _as she may be, and I asked her to stay, much like I did with you." He had now set the first flame to life and turned back to Roxie, "But do you know what I found out?"

Roxie shook her head. He finished tending the fire and got back up.

"I found out, that as admittedly… _attractive_ she might have been, and as much as I enjoyed – er- my spending time with her, there is one detail which has very quickly stuck out to me: she is as pretty, _and_ as dumb as a plastic doll. And she is pretty much of the same utility, too. She's as dumb they make them, really. Being a groupie is all she could ever aspire to be. I can't say I didn't take my own pleasure in having her here… but I also can't say I ever cared for her much, either. It's more that I've grown accustomed to having her around, actually," he added, eyeing her intently.

Roxie looked back at him, and though she was feeling anything but calm she tried to act as though she was completely clueless as to why they were having this conversation, "Why are you telling me this, Frank?"

He grinned at her, "Because," he answered, stepping right up to her so that she was staring right into his eyes, "I want you to know there's no reason to be _jealous_ of her."

Roxie felt her stomach flip right over. Goodness, had she been so _obvious? _She suddenly felt extremely stupid at the fact that Frank had bluntly read through her like an open book. Out of nervousness, she automatically began to toy with her hair, fumbling awkwardly with her hands to try and tie it back. She wracked her brain desperately to try and come up with the most neutral response she could come up with – once again failing miserably when she stated the most obvious denial she could think of.

"I'm not jealous of Columbia, Frank, I – oh, _damn it_!" she exclaimed as her hair pin dropped from her fumbling hands and she leaned forward to pick it up. Frank proceeded her and took her wrist with his hand just before she could pick up the pin, making her jolt from the contact and raise her eyes to look at him. He was staring at her knowingly, and all she could do was stare back as he picked up the pin and they both straightened themselves up.

Frank kept his gaze firmly locked with hers, and then to Roxie's utter shock he moved even closer to her and began leaning in towards her. For one wild moment, she closed her eyes and waited for him to do what she inevitably thought he would, but with a certain degree of disappointment she felt his face brush past her cheek as he gathered her hair behind her head and secured it with one swift movement using the pin. Roxie opened her eyes again and found him smirking at her with a far too knowing look, as if he didn't need to say anything for her to get the message. Roxie said no more and looked away, but thankfully he seemed to abandon teasing her and with one last comment – "_Just remember that, little Roxie_" – he sat down in front of the chimney and invited her to join him as he took a science book about outer space and began explaining some of its theories to her, since she had once pointed out how that book interested her.

They began speaking as they usually did, soon the awkwardness of the moment was forgotten and everything seemed to go back to normal and Roxie relaxed and began enjoying her time with Frank. After a while, she realized that she had absentmindedly scooted right besides Frank and was laying her head on his shoulder, but since he didn't seem to notice or care she kept still, suddenly noticing what an incredibly nice feeling the contact gave her. She drew her attention back to what Frank was saying and forgot about all the rest, until a few hours later the fire had now turned to dust and Roxie stifled a yawn. Frank stopped reading the paragraph he had been discussing and turned his head towards her.

"Are you getting sleepy, Roxie?" he asked her.

"Uh…a bit, I…guess," she stammered.

She was unable to come up with a more coherent sentence, for she was suddenly far too aware of the distance – or rather, lack thereof – between their two faces. Her eyes shifted between his and she realized they were only a breath apart. The realization made her breath stop for a moment, and Frank closed the book and grinned. Once again, he seemed to move in slow motion, and this time Roxie was certain he was going to –

"I think I'd better go to bed," she cut off, suddenly jumping to her feet and readjusting her hair, "I-I _do_ feel a little tired, after all." She fumbled with her hands and shot him a quick glance, "Goodnight, Frank," she muttered, before hurrying towards the door. Frank, who had also gotten on his feet, blocked her just before she could leave.  
>"Wait!"<p>

She froze on the spot, before turning around and faking a smile. "Yes, Frank?"

Frank raised an eyebrow as he walked towards her, stretching his arms out, "Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight, darling?" and he once again gave her a devilish grin which sent a shiver run right up her spine. Knowing that he had caught her right on the spot, she once again faked indifference and quickly apologized. He actually had every right to ask that question, since she had grown accustomed to exchanging a warm goodnight hug with him before she'd go off to bed.

"Oh. Right. Right. Of course!"

She walked over to him, still fumbling with her hands, and then did her best to behave like she always did, wrapping her arms around his waist. As soon as she touched him he responded by taking her in his own arms and swiftly bringing her body flush up against him. Roxie let out a small gasp of surprise, their hugs had already become quite warm and intimate but for some reason now the sudden contact and the way she was pushed against his body and the heat she felt radiating through him was all almost too much to bear. Before she could calm herself her heart began pounding loudly and she was sure that he could hear it too.

To break the tension, Frank pretended to sway them exaggeratedly back and forth, and it worked, making Roxie giggle. After another few moments, he let go of her slightly, keeping his hands around her waist as they parted. She was automatically still holding on to him too. As weird as she had felt a moment ago, she now felt much more calm, and when she saw Frank smiling at her she couldn't help but return the smile.

"Goodnight, baby," he said in a hushed tone, making her insides tingle pleasantly.

She let out an involuntary giggle, and returned the hushed goodbye.

"Goodnight, Frankie," she said, before leaning in and placing a kiss on his cheekbone.

He jokingly purred at the contact, and she giggled again as she leaned back, before catching his eyes and suddenly turning serious. They stared at each other for a second, neither quite knowing what was about to happen until it did.

In a moment, Frank's lips descended on hers, kissing her fiercely, and she felt as though the very air she was breathing had been knocked out of her. She closed her eyes. For a moment, she was lost. Then, it seemed as if some sort of hidden energy inside her had broken free, and suddenly she began responding to the kiss just as fiercely as Frank. His velvet mouth moved against hers, sensually sending electric shocks through her mind, and all rational thought was lost. She wrapped her arms around his neck tighter, as he pulled her once again flush against his body. Her hands moved from his neck to his hair, then moving on to his face, as she cupped his jaw with her hands while he continued kissing her. He parted slightly from her and then immediately started placing small continuous kisses on her lips, which made her smile as she caressed his cheeks. Then suddenly, he planted a more forceful kiss on her lips, and she shook with another shot of electricity when she felt his tongue flicker across her mouth. She hesitated for a moment, while he insisted with his affectionate administrations and he voluptuously dragged his tongue across her lips, and at this she gave in and opened her mouth to grant him access. His tongue dived inside her mouth, meeting hers and slowly beginning to stroke it with his own with sensuous movements. Roxie felt as though she were being intoxicated, all of her senses seemed to be blurred and heightened at the same time, she lost her balance and clung onto him for support as he continued kissing her and she returned his fierceness. It was as if a flame had erupted between them, and the heat radiated off of their bodies. When Roxie felt Frank's hands slip under her shirt and him lazily begin to drag them across her skin, she almost lost her senses. She let out an involuntary moan into his mouth, and he seemed to grin in satisfaction.

He continued this further display of affection until they finally had to break apart, gasping for air. Reality suddenly seemed to hit Roxie once more, and she realized she was panting and sweating. Frank seemed slightly flustered as well, though more amused and satisfied. He gave her an understanding look, and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Roxie" he purred, looking into her eyes, and she nodded, still slightly flustered.

"S-sweet dreams, Frankie…" she answered.

He leaned towards her and planted one last lingering kiss on her mouth, this time sweeter than before. She closed her eyes as she felt yet another wave of heat overcome her, then forced herself to open them again when he pulled away.

With one last look, he let go of her and she turned around and walked out into the hallway towards her room, certain that she was wobbling slightly as she went, the feel of Frank's lips still vividly impressed in her mind, making her mouth tingle extremely pleasantly. Frank watched her go, a smile painted on his lips as he saw her stumble her way down the hallway.


	7. CH7: A Bite of Forbidden Fruit

**A/N: HELLO! I am so, so sorry for the awful delays I'm condemning this fic to. I know I keep saying I'll update more regularly, and I'll do my best to REALLY try to do it. To make up for the waiting, here's an extra-long chapter, with – lo and behold! – a first taste of lemons up ahead! –winkwink- **

**A quick shoutout, before I leave you to – ahem – enjoy the chapter, to my lovely reviewers:****Shining Petals**** – I'm so glad you liked the kiss, wait for what's coming up next then! ;)  
><strong>**SammiRichGurl**** – oh yeah, I love romance too! Lol thankss for the 'epic' comment!  
><strong>**Flower-Of-The-Moon-0822**** – thanks for both reviews, I thought the dancing scene was a nice little moment they could have together, right? :)**

**Alright, now on with the good stuff…. ****ENJOY!**

**XOXO  
><strong>**K.S.**

**WARNING: Mature content up ahead!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 7<strong>

**A Bite of Forbidden Fruit**

Roxie rolled over in her bed for what felt like the millionth time that night.

She couldn't get any sleep. She kept thinking about Frank, and about the kissed they had shared.

_How_ had it escaped her that she was so obviously attracted to him in that way? And how was it that he seemed to not only acknowledge, but also reciprocate the same feelings? Or maybe she had just imagined it all, she thought.

But no, she couldn't have. When they had kissed, she'd just _known – _she'd known that he'd felt….something, too. She was sure of it. The way he's looked at her… the way he'd lingered in his kisses…. The way he'd held her as close to him as possible…. The way she'd felt his heart beat in time with hers…. Yes, she was _definitely _sure of it.

As she thought again of his mouth moving against hers, she felt her body flood once again with an unknown heat, radiating from her stomach – to her embarrassment – right down to her pelvic area. What was _happening _to her? She feared the strength of the emotions she was feeling, but most of all she realized she probably feared herself for what she was capable of doing. She'd had no trouble at all responding to Frank's advances just as eagerly and heatedly as him, and it made her wonder just what else she'd be capable of doing.

There was a reason why she felt so self conscious of what she had done. It wasn't that Roxie was completely inexperienced in such matters, of course. Just like she had told Frank, men – her aunt's companions in the first place – had begun to appreciate her ever since she turned into a young woman, and she knew what their lust was fuelled by. And, although she always remained quite cautious with her attitude, she was incredibly well aware of her feminine powers. But that one traumatic experience that had sent her to the mental institution had, of course, constituted a psychological block for her and her sexuality, both physically and psychologically.

The attempted rape had initially blocked her from accepting almost any sort of physical contact with others, a trauma that had made her become an extremely tense and flinching person whenever somebody would attempt to go near her, even if just to talk. If one of the male nurses would attempt to touch her, simply to guide her to her next doctor's appointment or to give her medications or help her when she was distressed, she would immediately freeze and refuse to move until the nurse had backed off.

Over time she began to elaborate the problem, even thought it kept troubling her in a series of highs and lows. One of her doctors had once told her that she had put a psychological block between herself and her body, making her reject any sort of human contact and therefore condemning her from ultimately being capable of enjoying any sort of contact. Those words had struck her deeply, sticking with her in her mind, and although she'd made progress she'd always feel depressed whenever she thought back on what that doctor had told her – in her mind, he had basically erased the possibility of her ever enjoying another contact with somebody, ever again.

Mark, a young assistant nurse who had arrived at the ward a while after Roxie had been checked in, had somehow helped her slightly rethink her presumption. A good looking, nice young man, Mark had begun to warm up to Roxie day after day when he'd been assigned to take care of her, and eventually something in the gentle way in which he treated her had also made Roxie see him in a different light from all the other men.

Their bond had slowly evolved into something which resembled more a sort of attraction, until during one of the night checks they had ended up kissing and then being carried away to sharing what was Roxie's first experience with lovemaking. However, that did not go as planned: the next day, instead of feeling happy for herself and Mark, Roxie had fallen back to her old self and had woken up feeling cold and, sadly, completely unemotional towards the young man. Mark, who had soon after been discovered and accused of 'crossing the boundaries' with one of the patients, had then been transferred to another ward, and a brief private encounter and one final longing kiss on his behalf had sealed the last of what Roxie had seen of him. After his departure, she'd been surprised to see that not only did she not miss him, but the thought of repeating what had happened with him with anybody was far from her mind. Once again, her body had seemed to settle into some sort of sexual lethargy, with which she had become strangely comfortable.

Because of all of that she'd already been remarkably surprised to realize what strong feelings Frank had started to stir in her, but the kiss and the way she had so passionately responded to it – so…unlike her – had completely shocked her. _Maybe this is a good thing,_ she thought. _Maybe Frank is just…different from all the others. How else could he be the only one who's been able to make me feel like this? _

She was glad that somebody had found a way to grow closer to her without making her want to run away or detach herself form them, and it marvelled her how easily Frank had done it, almost without her realizing what had happened until it had.

_Oh, Frank,_ she thought to herself, hugging her pillow, _If only you knew what you do to me…._

* * *

><p>The bedroom door creaked open.<p>

Opening her eyes, Roxie realized that she had drifted off to sleep. She batted her eyelashes a few times to recompose herself and turned around when she felt herself being observed. Her heart leaped when she saw who it was.

Frank was standing at the foot of her bed, watching her intently. He was wearing a pair of long blue satin pants and a matching blue satin robe, his hair ruffled up and sticking out in odd directions. He was standing there, almost awkwardly, if it wasn't for his innate charm that even now made him look like he knew exactly what he was doing. He stood looking at her, his eyes locked on her and his mouth hanging slightly open.

Roxie had quickly recovered from the shock of finding him there, but was unable to speak. Then, quite suddenly, she felt as if she was on autopilot. Mechanically, she felt a magnetic force pull her up from her covers, and she dragged herself slowly across the mattress, towards Frank. She wasn't able to think, her mind felt completely blank expect for that magnetic force which made her move towards him, the sheets sliding down from her body and dragging across her own satin nightgown as she moved closer to him. At the same time, she saw him move too, as if in slow motion; he stepped closer to the bed until his legs were leaning up against the mattress.

Roxie crawled up to him and stopped for a moment, to look in his eyes. That same fire which only hours ago had sent shivers down her spine was still there, and as his gaze darkened by lust scrutinized her face she felt goosebumps rising from the back of her head to the tip of her toes. Still keeping eye contact, she lifted herself up until she was face to face with him. The spark behind his eyes refused to go away, and her own eyes now mirrored that same emotion.

Unexpectedly, Roxie shivered when she felt a dark sense of lust begin to spread within her, quickly spreading from her guts to the rest of her body and leaving her with a sudden unknown urge and desire to fulfil. Still feeling out of her own body, she watched herself lift her hand slowly and place it on Frank's shoulder, before tugging the vest fabric away and beginning to caress his skin, moving across his shoulder and down to his chest as her other hand joined in as well, gliding underneath the fabric and across his well defined pectorals.

Frank watched her move her hands across his body, swiftly pulling at his robe's knot to leave it open on his torso. As she moved her hands across his skin, Roxie could feel that dark burning desire spread even more, tingling in her body and slowly awaking some primal instinct that until then had lain dormant within her. She caressed his chest and shoulders, then moved down to explore his stomach. Just when she reached the rim of his pants and Frank closed his eyes at her touch, she moved back up to his shoulders, this time inching her way up to his neck until she reached his hair as she shifted even closer to him, her hands diving into his dark curls and making a moan elicit from his lips. That one small sound was enough to push Roxie's last bit of control off the edge.

With a swift movement she lifted herself right up to his body, her face now inches from his. Frank opened his eyes again, his gaze equally as intense as hers.

Suddenly, an unexpected moan escaped her lips and she felt a new wave of goosebumps erupting across her back as Frank's own hands now began to glide up her back, slipping underneath her nightgown and caressing her bare skin. Roxie closed her eyes, suddenly feeling heat flood through her body in places where she'd never felt it before. The unknown force which had seemed to take over her mind now made her forcefully cling on to Frank as she dipped her head back and Frank drew his face up to hers, his mouth a breath from hers. Roxie stood, breathing heavily, waiting for him to kiss her, but instead Frank moved his head at the last moment and ended up placing a lingering kiss on the base of her neck.

Another, louder moan escaped Roxie's lips, the mere contact sent a whole new set of shivers shaking through her entire body. When Frank began to set a trail of kisses painfully slowly all around that same spot, Roxie thought she would go insane from the intensity of it all. She pressed her body even closer to Frank who, taking this as an encouragement, tugged her waist tighter to him and increased the force of his kisses along her neck, before tempting her even more by dragging his tongue across her most sensitive skin and then grazing that same spot with his teeth. This time, Roxie moaned loudly, the erotic sound echoing in the empty room and enticing Frank even more. As Frank kept biting her sensitive skin over and over, she clung on to him for support and thanked that she was kneeling on the bed already, for her entire body suddenly seemed to turn to jelly and her knees threatened to buckle underneath her.

Pulling away, Frank looked into her eyes as she breathed heavily. Her eyes were still half-closed in ecstasy when, in barely more than a whisper, she merely managed to call out, "Frank…" Before he abandoned his restraint and claimed her lips with his. This time Roxie was not taken aback, and eagerly responded to his demand, kissing him repeatedly and hungrily until he forcefully dominated her actions by locking his mouth with hers, probing it open and slipping his tongue inside. Roxie welcomed him to deepen the kiss, this time taking more control over her own actions and sliding her own tongue into his mouth, taking the time to intoxicate her senses as she tasted him once again. The mere taste of him was sending her over the edge, he felt like the sweetest drug she had ever tasted in her life.

The fire between them took over, and as the kiss deepened Roxie let herself fall back onto the bed, dragging Frank on top of her. Her sudden need, almost a painful ache, to feel _more_ of him blinded her of all rational thought, and as they crawled slightly upward on the mattress she tugged at his robe to get him as close as possible to her. Frank quickly obliged by momentarily leaving her mouth to lift himself up and hastily remove his robe, tossing it aside before Roxie pulled him by the shoulders back down on her and began kissing him again, his face, his neck and his shoulders.

The fresh contact with his bare skin set her on fire, and when she felt his hands wander down to the hem of her nightgown and tug it upward she was no longer capable of objecting and let him slide his hands beneath the fabric, caressing her hips and gliding across the skin of her stomach. Meanwhile he claimed her mouth once more and kept kissing her forcefully, encouraged by the fiery way with which she responded by pulling his hair towards her and moaning into his mouth. When his hand reached her breast, she broke the kiss with an audible gasp, which turned into a longing moan when he began stroking her skin while he moved his lips once more to her neck.

This time, he bit not-so-gently into the flesh and began sucking on her skin, sending shock after shock of pure pleasure coursing through her entire body. Roxie tilted her head back, her eyes closed in ecstasy, completely lost in her lust-filled mind as her mouth let out a series of inarticulate sounds that only edged Frank on.

Instinctively she now wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging onto his shoulders and scratching slightly at his skin, and soon he began to move against her, grinding his hips against her body. Roxie's whimpers grew even louder, which induced Frank to act more forcefully. His hips began moving at a more rapid pace and she began to respond by thrusting her hips up to meet his, and soon they were moving rhythmically against one another.

Frank groaned his approval into her neck, and she threw her head back when he began kissing her chest and move lower and lower towards her breast, pulling down one of her nightgown's straps to reveal more skin for him to explore…. She arched her back and grabbed his hair, now completely lost in this ecstasy, with every movement he increased the speed and intensity of his thrusts and she eagerly kept up with him, as they each let their approvals ring out with guttural sounds of pleasure that filled the room and made them both ache for more. Roxie closed her eyes and shut out all the rest, she pulled his body closer to her, _yes, that's what she wanted_, she needed to feel his heat, his weight deliciously pinning her down to the mattress, the friction created between their hips almost unbearable to take, his hands expertly moving on her body with one still kneading her breast while he now moved the other to her leg, tentatively caressing her inner thigh as he began to inch his way closer and closer to her panties. No longer being able to hold back she let out a languid: "Oh Frank...", at the sound of his name his mouth left her cleavage to return once again to her lips, devouring them hungrily and draining all her energy with the sensual way he allowed his tongue to explore every inch of her mouth.

She couldn't take it any longer, she needed to have him, _now. _She pulled his curls towards her with her hands and bucked upwards, provoking a loud moan to escape his lips, she could feel his hand at the rim of her panties, he left her mouth and returned to her neck, this time biting forcefully onto her most sensitive spot, his fingers slipped under the rim of her panties, and without containing herself she let out a cry of pleasure….

"FRANK!"

Roxie opened her eyes with a start. She was alone, in her bed, sweat pouring through her skin onto her nightgown, and her breath came in short gasps. She looked around everywhere.

The sheets were torn….

The bed was a mess….

And Frank was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Uh-oh... What's going on now? **

PHEW...THAT was a nice hot chapter to write! I HOPE I got the feeling right, Frank's sexuality is, quite bluntly, so freaking intense that it's kinda hard to describe it in words! BUT, I have to say, for being one of my first actual attempts at more mature writing I'm pretty satisfied with the result! Now, since this IS one of my first tries, the chapter MIGHT be replaced/rewritten/fixed, but for now I'm pretty happy with what I've got!

PS - Frank's POV / emotions / feelings have been purposely put on a second level here and sort of 'fogged out' because, as it were, this is more of a Roxie-centered moment... I promise I'll have much more insight on his own reactions next time round! ;)

What do you think? Is Frank sexy enough? ;) Please Review and let me know! :)

xoxoxo  
>Kayla<p> 


	8. CH8: Disturbia

**A/N: New chapter! I hope you're all enjoying the story! I'm expecting a couple more chapters before the actual movie begins, so be prepared! ;)**

**I originally wrote this and the next chapter as a single one, but decided to divide them when they turned out to be too long. XD**

**BIG SHOUT-OUTS and THANK YOUS to my reviewers, as always!:**

'sSydney – Glad you liked the chapter, this next one should answer your question… As for Roxie and the Time Warp, like I said get ready to see it all in just a few more updates! :D

SammiRichGurl – Yes, I know. Isn't Frankie THE epitome of SEXINESS ? I couldn't resist, Roxie HAD to have a taste of him – ahem! ;)

PS And if you liked the smokin' previous chapter.. just wait when you see what's coming up next! ;)

**Enjoy and please leave a review! I will be posting the next part in just a few days :D**

**LOTS OF LOVE! ****XXX  
><strong>**KAYLA**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 8<br>****Disturbia**

Roxie headed for the dining room the next day feeling uneasy and confused by the previous night's events. Indeed, although once she had calmed down she had dismissed the erotic fantasy she had had involving Frank as a mere dream, a strange feeling had crept over her and had still not left her. What had made her even more apprehensive was that when she'd gone to the bathroom after waking up, she'd nearly dropped the glass of water she'd poured herself when she saw her image reflected in the mirror with a large purple bruise etched on the skin of her neck.

What was that all about, then?

She was sure that she had just fallen asleep and had a dream about Frank, when she'd imagined him in her bed almost making love to her. But then surely, if she _had_ been dreaming, it wouldn't have been possible for her to have such physical marks on her skin?

It wasn't the idea of her sensual encounter with Frank being real that bothered her. What bothered her was the fact that she wasn't able to understand if it had been real or not. And, if it had been real, she'd woken up without Frank by her side - and that detail, however small, also stung her quite bitterly.

As she descended the staircase, she noticed something strange was going on. Riff raff was in the atrium talking to a young couple whom Roxie had never seen before. Magenta, who had been lying on the stair railing, suddenly sprung to life and let herself slip down the railing, laughing hysterically with Riff raff. Roxie stopped in her tracks to observe them, their voices echoing strangely in her head as they spoke and giving her a headache. She brought her hands to her temples when some very loud music suddenly blasted out of nowhere and filled her ears, a song she'd never heard before but which sounded strangely familiar. She held her head in her hands to try and block the music out, her temples now pulsing painfully. She shut her eyes tight.

When she opened them again, she wasn't on the staircase anymore. She was in a room she'd only seen once before, and which she now recognized as Frank's laboratory. Frank was standing in front of a tank, and his voice echoed loudly in her ears like Riff raff's and Magenta's as he seemed to address her with an excited, triumphant voice, "For tonight, is the night that my beautiful creature is to be born!" Roxie blinked again and she found herself still in the lab, though the lights were now blinking on and off and Frank was operating a complex piece of machinery above the tank. The machinery was pouring different coloured liquids inside the tank, and Frank shouted with glee as he turned each knob from the machine. The mechanical whirring and huffing of the operating device clanged in Roxie's ears, and she winced, trying to block it all out. "Stop…." She thought, shutting her eyes once again.

She opened them and was surprised to hear sudden silence surrounding her. She found herself staring into Frank's eyes, apparently lying down besides him. His makeup was smeared and he seemed to have been crying. She felt his hand caress her face gently as his whispered words echoed in her head. "I'm sorry, Roxie…" he spoke softly. Stranger still, Roxie then heard her own echoing voice responding, "It's all right….It's all right…"

She watched Frank's face break into a genuine smile, as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, clinging onto her longingly as she held him in her arms. Then he began to kiss her neck and face, a soft laugh of relief escaping his lips. She closed her eyes at his touch and smiled as well, her hand now buried in his curls as she hugged him close to her, and he lifted his head to look into her eyes, beaming, before leaning down and kissing her profoundly. She felt herself melt into his embrace as he kissed her, and when they broke apart he returned to his previous sensual administrations, leaving a soft trail of kisses on her collarbone. She closed her eyes contentedly, a feeling of warmth and happiness spreading inside her, and revelled in the feeling of being with him.

But a sudden change of mood made an unpleasant shiver run violently up her spine. The comforting warmth she had felt in the pit of her stomach had now turned into a cold, unpleasant sensation. Suddenly she felt something viscous, damp and cold spread from her abdomen, running up to her chest and all along her arms. She also suddenly realized that she could no longer feel Frank's weight on top of her. A feeling of dread spread in the pit of her stomach like venom. Somehow she already knew what she would find in front of her be she even opened her eyes. The terror began to invade her and rush through her veins as her eyes flew open and, feeling shocked, she saw that her intuition had been right. She looked down and saw that she was kneeling on the floor, and her entire upped body was completely covered with shimmering red blood.

Her head jerked up when she heard a somewhat familiar voice chanting in a mock tone, "_Frank N Furter, it's all over!" _and she gasped when she saw who it was. Riff raff was at the top of a small set of stairs, spread across a big throne-like silver chair, maniacally laughing with his head thrown backwards. He eyed something at Roxie's feet and his laughter increased even more.

What was even worse was when the girl looked down again and saw what he was laughing at, and where all the blood was coming from. Lying in her arms, limp and covered in blood, was Frank's cold, limp body. Riff raff's laughter still rang in Roxie's ears as she stared open-mouthed at Frank, who seemed to have been brutally murdered.

His corset had been ripped in the area of his abdomen, from which she could see a deep gash from where the blood sprung, one of his arms lay limp against his body and he seemed to be limply holding Roxie's hand with the other. His head was lolled back, his beautiful face smeared with makeup and blood, with his perfect mouth hanging open. Roxie thought the worst, but then she saw his chest was heaving with the slightest movement and a second later she heard a guttural sound escape Frank's lips. She watched him attempt to lift his head to look at her, murmuring her name in barely more than a whisper.

"Frank-" she choked, tears beginning to swell up in his eyes as she clutched his hand as tight as she could.

"R-roxie," he breathed, as she leaned closer to his face, attempting to wipe the blood from his cheeks and gently moving his damp curls away. She felt him try to squeeze her hand, "I'm – I'm dieing…"

"No," she retorted immediately, her face hovering above his as she cupped his cheek with her hand, "No, you're not, you're going to be find, I'm going to go get –"

"It's over, Roxie," he whispered, wincing in pain, "I – I'm so sorry…" he squeezed her hand again, "I – I wanted to stay here….with you…" Roxie crumbled down besides him, desperately holding his hand and leaning her forehead against his, and he opened his eyes weakly to look at her, "Go save yourself… from them…I'm going to – miss….you…" And with one last breath, his eyes closed, his head rolled back, and he was gone.

Roxie couldn't take it.

"NO!" She opened her mouth and screamed as loud as she could. The sound made her open her eyes once again, finally breaking the spell and waking her in her bed. It took her a moment to realize that the sound filling her ears was her own screaming. She clamped her hands over her mouth. Her entire body was damp with sweat, shaking uncontrollably under her nightgown. Her eyes filled with tears as she began to hyperventilate, her chest rising heavily and her heart beating wildly in her chest. With a startled jump, she drew her hands away from her mouth, still conscious of the feeling of blood on them, and she stared at them as if she were afraid to see them still soaked in it. They were clean, but the panic running through her veins didn't stop. She looked around the room, afraid, not knowing what to do, but still knowing that she had to do _something_. One single, aching thought beat in her mind. She flung herself out of the sheets and jumped off the bed, running for the door and swinging it open.

She began to race down the corridors, not quite sure of where was going, but following her instinct knowing it was the right direction, trying to remember the only time she had been shown this path before. And when she reached the other room, she opened the door and slinked inside, without a second thought and without wasting time to knock. She closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it.

Inside, she was greeted by darkness, a comforting warmth, and the distant sound of Frank's soft snoring, coming from his bed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Uuuh cliffhanger! Who knows what will happen next….? **

**Leave a review and tell me what you think, hunnies! ;)**


	9. CH9: Giving over

**A/N: **And here I am with the next chapter!

I'd like to thank my readers and reviewers, as always!  
>NationGentaObrien – I know you're going to love this one particularly… enjoy it, dearie!<br>SammiRichGurl – you can say goodbye to that darn cliffhanger now! :D

Enjoy, everyone!

Oh, and please leave a review, I'd really like to know how you think I'm doing with the story, the characters, the plot… all of that!

I am SO, so happy about this chapter… It's my first attempt at writing a full-out lemon, so I have to say I'm pretty satisfied with what I got! Well, then again, it IS Frankie we're talking about, after all.. How could one ever go wrong with him? ;)

**WARNING: MATURE CONTENT!**

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! ;)

xoxo  
>-KS<p>

* * *

><p><strong><span>CHAPTER 9<span>**  
><strong><span>Giving over<span>**

Once she was inside the bedroom, Roxie closed the door behind her and leaned against it, the darkness enveloping her. Her heartbeat was still racing, she fought to catch her breath as her eyes adjusted to the dark and she scanned the room. She tried to tell herself it was all right, that the nightmare was over, that it hadn't really happened. It was a dream, only a dream. He was there, he wasn't gone. She could hear his gentle breathing filling the room, right there…

But when she heard the breathing stop and the sound of sheets rustling, before his deep, distinctive voice spoke from the darkness, calling her - "Roxie?" - her defences shattered and before he could do or say anything else she raced across the room. She carelessly threw herself on the king sized bed and flung herself into his arms. He promptly caught her.

She clung onto him with her arms around his neck as if her life depended on it. As she felt his shallow breathing falling on her neck, she restlessly began to feel his body with her hands, moving them across his shoulders to his chest and his torso, to convince herself that yes, he was really there with her, and when she placed a hand over his heart and heard it beating through his chest, a wave of relief overcame her, almost bringing her to tears of joy. She buried her face into his shoulder, her chest still heaving as she gasped for air, and began to cry softly.

"What's the matter?" Frank crooned in her ear, his voice still sounding sleepy.

"Frank…oh my God….Frank…" she stuttered, unable to speak.

"Shh," he cooed, holding her tighter to him, "I'm right here, love… I'm right here."

His comforting words only made her cry harder. He wrapped his arms more protectively around her, shifting her so that she was sitting in his lap. He stroked her hair and gently rocked her, humming a strange tune in her ear to calm her down.

After a few minutes, Roxie's heart rate had almost returned to normal, and she was able to lift her face to meet Frank's eyes, which glistened in the pale moonlight filtering through a crack in the curtains. He smiled reassuringly at her.

"There, there, my baby," he spoke softly, his voice caressing her like velvet, "We don't want any of this, do we?" he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her forehead, murmuring against her skin, "What happened?"

New tears began to fill her eyes at his apprehension towards her. Who else would have been so understanding after having her break into his bedroom in the middle of the night, uninvited, and then have her jump into his arms for no apparent reason?

"I…I can't," she whimpered, hiding her face behind her hands.

"Oh, now, now," he whispered, gently pulling her hands away and holding them in his own, "Nonsense. Tell me everything."

"I…I had a dream," she finally managed to speak.

He paused for a second, before asking, "What kind of dream?"

"A… a very bad one."

He frowned, looking at her with concern. "What did you dream, Roxie?"

Her lower lip trembled as she fought to keep from crying again, and she gathered her courage to tell him. "I dreamt…"

"Yes?"

"You…you were dead," she said, in barely more than a whisper. No sooner had the words come out of her mouth, that she felt herself crumble once more as she looked into his face. She still couldn't realize that he was really there with her, and that that horrid vision of him lying in her arms soaked in blood was fake. He seemed just as shocked as she was, now fully understanding the reason for her distress.

"Roxie…."

"Oh, Frank," a sob unwillingly escaped her lips.

He welcomed her back in his arms, now holding her tighter to him, and he buried his face in her hair as she began to weep once more. He allowed her to sob freely, releasing the tension she had held back until then.

"Oh, baby…." He whispered, almost to himself, trying to soothingly stroke her back and kissing her hair.

"It was….Oh my God, Frank, it was the most horrific thing that I have ever dreamed," she choked. She tried to recompose herself, wiping the tears from her face and trying to look strong. "I'm sorry…" she stuttered, "I didn't mean to…" but he merely looked at her with sympathy and took her hand away from her cheek, before wiping her tears away with his own.

"Shh," he shushed, now stroking her cheek with his thumb, "I said none of that, darling…." She calmed into his touch, searching for reassurance in his eyes. After a few moments of silence, he smiled at her.

"See?" he said, drawing her face close to his and resting her forehead against his, "It's all right now. It's all over," he whispered, still holding her body close to him, "I'm here, baby. I'm with you."

She took a deep breath, her eyes half-closed and her heart warming at his words. "Oh, Frank…" she whispered back, beginning to trace caresses on his cheekbones and jaw line, moving back to his hair and returning to his cheek as she raised her eyes to look at him, "You don't know how much…how much I…" she shook her head, inhaling loudly, "I just….I didn't know what to do, without you."

He grinned slightly before whispering, "Come here…"

He shifted, making room for her on the mattress, and pulled down the covers to invite her in.

Roxie looked at him questioningly, "I can stay…here?"

"Of course," he said, patting the spot besides him, "Come lay down here with me."

She moved cautiously, as though not entirely sure of what she was doing, before seeing the look in his eyes and letting go of her hesitation. She climbed in bed, and after they both lay down he promptly turned her way, opening his arms for her to cuddle in, which she immediately did.

She scooted closer to him, settling down in his arms and resting her head in the crook of his neck. His warmth radiated through his clothes and it made her feel safe and protected. She huddled against him, lowering her head and absentmindedly toying with the rim of his nightshirt as she spoke again, and he stood listening looking down at her, his lips caressing her forehead when she moved.

"Frank….it was horrible. I was so lost…and so alone….and…." As she spoke she saw Frank shift slightly downwards as he leaned in and placed a kiss on the base of her jaw, and she began to lose her train of thought as she felt him murmur his understanding against her skin, sending a delightful shiver down her spine.

"And….and…so, so very afraid, I…" he shifted closer to her still, now moving his lips down to her neck planting soothing kisses on her skin, and she instinctively entwined her fingers in his hair and stretched her neck to give him more access, "…I didn't know what to do," she repeated mindlessly.

Frank elicited a small moan from her as he continued to kiss her for another few blissful moments. Then he lifted his head from her skin, now starting to feel enticed by the situation. He looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes and spoke with a breathy voice, "Oh, Roxie…"

"I was so scared I'd lost you…" she said honestly, her voice shaking.

Frank felt his heart sink, and something in his eyes suddenly changed. "Oh, baby…." He brought himself once again up besides her, kissing her forehead and pulling her to him to embrace her. Roxie, apart from already feeling slightly flustered by his kisses, now felt confused. She had expected him to react another way, not by kissing her on the forehead.

"I think perhaps we'd better get some sleep," she heard his voice rumble through his chest.

Roxie felt her heart sink at his words. She stopped for a moment, and realized that the reason was because, truthfully, that was not what she wanted. At all. She gathered up the courage to let him know.

"Frank?"

"Yes, Roxie?"

She closed her eyes and breathed in.

Lifting her head, she looked into his eyes, already drawing dangerously close to him "I can't sleep… I need to feel you're here with me…Please…Frank," she breathed, now a breath from his face, before deciding to throw caution to the wind. Staring deeply into his eyes, she asked him, "Kiss me…."

Without hesitation he leaned in and obliged, claiming her lips. A shock of pleasure coursed through her as she felt his mouth against hers, the reality of the feeling overwhelming her. He immediately began to move his mouth against hers and she opened hers to willingly deepen the kiss.

Roxie ran her fingers through his hair, shifting her position so that she was flush against him, and he groaned his approval when she settled herself on top of him. His hands wandered under her nightshirt and he began dragging his fingers across her bare skin, eliciting a moan from her.

Roxie felt his velvet tongue caress her own, intoxicating her more and more. As she instinctively opened her legs to settle herself on top of him and moved her hips against him, they both began to feel they were slowly but surly losing control. The heat that had grown between them began to burn into a tumultuous fire.

She broke the kiss and began unbuttoning his already half-opened black nightshirt, revealing his smooth chest and planting kisses on his skin as she caressed him, following her hands down to the last button as Frank leaned his head back in ecstasy. She planted one last kiss just below his navel, an unknown force daring her to then lick that patch of skin lightly and look up at him while she did it.

The fire of lust was now burning behind Frank's eyes as he gazed at her. Encouraged by the look in his eyes, Roxie smiled seductively and moved back up his body, deliberately taking the time to lick a trail up his torso and alternating between a few kisses and nibbles as he kept watching her, moaning softly when she picked a particularly sensitive spot. He shrugged off his nightshirt as she rose back up to his face.

They exchanged a longing look. Neither of them could explain what was happening, but they were evidently enjoying it too much to stop. Roxie leaned back down and dragged her tongue from his chest to the crook of his neck, where an unexpected impulse made her first linger a kiss there and then sink her teeth into his skin. She barely had the time to hear Frank's erotic moan echoing in her ears, because suddenly he flipped her over on the bed, and before she could blink she found him on top of her, pinning her to the mattress.

She looked at him, eyes wide with surprise, and saw him now glaring at her with a positively lustful, darkened gaze. His eyes were dangerous and almost unbearably magnetic. She could see a fire burning behind them as his chest heaved against hers heavily. His now naked torso was pressed against her, and she felt the urge to feel more of his skin.

He held her with one arm under her back, as he rested the other above her head. He moved a lock of hair from her face, all the time not breaking eye contact. She took notice of the tattoo inscribed above his bicep and dragged her fingers across his skin, picking up a faint line of sweat. She brought her fingers up to his face and cupped his cheek. He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand languidly, before looking back at her, and she dragged him down for another sensuous kiss. But instead of kissing his mouth, she tilted his head at the last second and licked her way from his chin to his nose in one slick movement. Frank watched her, mildly amused.

She really had no idea what was making her behave that way, especially when she'd been so distressed just moments before. But the physical contact she was having with Frank was driving her insane, in a most pleasurable way. It made unknown desires within her awaken, and filled her mind with a million things she'd want to do to and with Frank. Whatever it was that was driving her, it was making her feel incredibly sensual. And free. And she was loving it.

Frank too, was feeling quite intrigued by the situation. He certainly had not been planning this when he'd seen how distressed she was, but she'd taken the first step and he had to admit to himself he was only glad to respond to her advances. And though he truly felt connected with her, and di not want to simply toy with her, he had to admit he felt a strong attraction towards her. The feel of the girl's small frame beneath him churned his lust, and although a part of him simply wanted to act upon his impulses, he had to admit he was thoroughly enjoying this most unusual foreplay, and Roxie's playful sexual nature. That, of course, did not mean that he was ready to tame himself.

Before she could retreat her tongue, Frank jolted forward and caught it with his mouth, startling Roxie for a split second before he closed his eyes and began sucking, the unfamiliar contact sending another wave of pleasure through Roxie. She also closed her eyes and allowed him to continue this most strange kiss, his mouth moving up and down her tongue. She relaxed in the position, enjoying his every movement more and more.

When he let go, she didn't even let him pull back and hungrily bit his lower lip, pulling it towards her. Frank grinned mischievously at her and returned the favour by biting her upper lip. They nibbled and sucked on each other's lips for a while, before eventually evolving into a deep, hungry kiss.

Frank's hands roamed her body up and down as her own moved across his naked back, clutching his shoulder blades and pulling him against her. She mindlessly shifted and opened her legs, making Frank gasp in the kiss as he found himself settled right between her thighs, but she merely grinned in satisfaction and furtherly teased him with a swaying movement of her hips.

However, Frank unexpectedly broke their kiss and tried to pull back slightly. She frowned at his concerned expression. Their heavy breathing filled the air for a few seconds.

"Roxie," he then spoke airily, "We've got to end this," he lowered his forehead against hers, whispering, "If I don't – I won't be able to stop."

"Oh, Frank," she breathed, understanding his concern. She smiled, locking her hands behind his neck and nudging his nose with hers, making him look at her. She exchanged a look of deep understanding with him, before murmuring, "I don't _want _you to stop."

He seemed taken aback for a second. "Are you sure, baby?"

She nodded, her heavy breathing and parted mouth starting to fuel his lust once again. Sensually leaning in and nudging his nose against hers, he moved his mouth above hers, teasing her when she opened her lips by just softly brushing his against hers, "Is this what you want?" his voice suddenly changed to a dangerously soft tone, which instantly set Roxie's insides on fire. He made her gasp as he also suddenly ground his hips against her, before grinning devilishly looking at her straight in the eyes, "Do you want me?"

Realizing he was doing this to show her who _really _was the one in control, after she'd tried to take over, Roxie panted and arched her back, trying to lift her mouth to his as he teased her by keeping a breath away from her.

"Yes," she whispered, "Oh, yes…" He finally leaned his head down towards her and once again claimed her mouth with his. Roxie squirmed beneath him, feeling a renewed intensity flow through his kiss, extremely more sexual than before. He broke apart and kissed her softly this time, and she drew him to her and planted a kiss just below his ear, before whispering heatedly, "Make love to me, Frank."

His grin widened even more as he pulled back, and he tipped his mouth back down to her neck, murmured his approval as he set his lips on her skin. He began moving his mouth down to the collar of her nightgown, and raised his lips from her skin. Roxie looked up at the ceiling, waiting for him to continue, letting out a shaky breath.

Thankfully, this time Frank didn't make her wait. She felt his hand glide up from her waist, pass across her chest and pick the first button open. She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. One after the other, Frank undid all the buttons, his hand occasionally brushing parts of her naked skin as he moved the fabric away, making her breath hitch every time. His hands didn't stop until he undid the last button, leaving her completely exposed with the exception of her small panties.

He moved his hands back to her chest, eager to begin exploring her body, and lowered his eyes to admire her. He concentrated on transmitting his pleasure to her through his kisses, and seemed to succeed in doing so when he moved to placed his mouth on one of her breasts, eliciting a loud moan from her. He began lightly sucking her skin, while his other hand moved up to caress her other breast, kneading it gently. Roxie moaned again, tilting her head back and weaving a hand through his hair. His touch felt incredible to her, and she almost couldn't believe how good he was making her feel. And to think… this was only a small fraction of what was to come.

Frank switched position with her other breast, making her gasp with pleasure when he couldn't hold back biting softly into her flesh. He looked up at her and she opened her eyes to look back at him, still panting slightly, waiting for his next move. They exchanged another longing, wordless glance before he pulled himself up once again. He kept eye contact and pulled down his pants, shuffling his legs out of them and kicking them away.

Roxie's breath began to hitch at the sight of him now standing fully naked in front of her, his arousal evident and his toned muscles flexing beneath his sandy coloured skin. She'd managed to see his face was not covered in make up, but the light of the night made it difficult to define his features. Despite that, she thought he was simply too beautiful for words.

Still maintaining eye contact, Frank leaned forward and caught the hem of her panties with his hands, pausing to give her one last chance to pull back. She kept her gaze on his steadily, letting him know she was sure by raising her hips to help him, and he finally removed the last thin layer of fabric which stood between them, tossing it aside as well.

Through all these actions Frank maintained eye contact, but now as he lifted himself back up he allowed his gaze to wander freely across her naked body, taking in her wonderful figure: her white skin was smooth and her hair was flowing freely around her, framing her chest and face beautifully.

Roxie took the time to admire him as well, her eyes marvelling at how perfectly sculpted his body looked, lean but not buff, and admiring his two tattoos standing out beautifully against his skin. She raised her gaze to his face again, gazing at his beautifully strong features, and then she caught his eyes once more. Frank kept their gaze still for a moment, before leaning in towards her and finally settling himself between her legs.

As he lay down, Roxie felt his skin finally coming in full contact with her own naked body, inch by inch, the sensation exhilarating her beyond description and fulfilling her desire. Frank lay on top of her, until every bit of their bodies was firmly pressed against each another. He brought his face a breath from hers, placing one hand above her head liked before and stroking her hair, as they both took the time to indulge in the feeling of their bodies against each other. His breathing was steady, but Roxie's still seemed a bit heightened, and he gave her time to relax as he looked into her eyes, wordlessly exchanging a flow of energy and passion. Something she noticed particularly, especially now that she'd come in full contact with his naked body, was the incredible heat that seemed to radiate from Frank's body. He almost felt as though he had a fever, but although she found it strange, Roxie didn't have any more time to dwell on the idea, because he got her attention by passing his thumb across her lips, electricity sparking through Roxie's veins at his touch.

"Roxie," he whispered, and leaned forward, "My baby…" he gave her an achingly tender and intimate kiss before pulling back, resting his forehead against hers as he murmured, "You are…so…beautiful."

She smiled weakly at him and he responded, before gently nudging her nose and placing his mouth on hers again, this time kissing her more deeply and hungrily. He could feel his desire starting to take over, aroused by their bodies' naked contact.

Roxie responded, feeling the same urgency beginning to invade her body and the heat between them grow, burning their desires. She opened her legs a bit more to allow him to settle between them. He began to instinctively move against her, and she began to move the same way. He then broke their kiss and withdrew slightly from her to catch his breath, before slipping his hand between them, his eyes locked with Roxie's.

Roxie eyed him questioningly, then let out a loud gasp when she felt his hand caress her already damp folds. Her mouth hung open as he began to stoke her. She convulsed against him, not used to the feeling of pleasure that coursed through her inner thighs, and Frank felt her tense up.

"Shh, it's all right love," he reassured her, placing a kiss on her mouth, "Let it go. Don't hold back," he whispered, stroking her more intensely and making her buck her hips and let out another loud moan. He grinned, "Yes, yes, that's right, baby," he encouraged her, kissing and nibbling her neck as he inserted two fingers inside her, making her gasp in surprise before he started to move in and out of her. Soon, he made her begin to moan his name, as she arched her back and threw her head back.

He kissed her chest, "Oh yes, baby," he whispered hotly, before moving his mouth to hover above hers and looking straight into her eyes, "Give yourself over to pleasure, Roxie," he chanted in a singsong voice, grinning wickedly at her.

Unable to hold back any longer, he removed his hand from her and drew her hips down to him, entering her. Roxie lost her senses for a moment when she felt him slip inside her, finally answering to that aching desire her body had tortured her with until then, and savouring the feeling of him inside of her. Frank also pulled his head back in pleasure, groaning loudly.

He lowered his face and captured Roxie's lips in the most heated kiss yet, hungrily devouring her mouth to which she eagerly answered before he picked her hips up with a sudden movement, pulling her against him as he began to move in and out of her.

Their moans and languid cries of pleasure began to fill the air, as Roxie held onto his shoulders and Frank guided her hips in a slick movement. With each thrust, both of them felt wave after wave of pleasure crashing over them, both realizing how long they had waited and hungered for this moment of sharing this delightful sin of the flesh together. And now, they both felt like they couldn't get enough of each other. Each movement satisfied their desires, and somewhere between Frank's heated kissed and longing gazes into her eyes, Roxie realized, above her lust-filled mind, that she felt completely safe and calm for the first time in what felt like for ever. Frank worshipped every inch of her body, kissing and caressing her just as expertly and sensually as she'd imagined him.

He rested his head on her shoulder, breathing hotly into her neck and kissing beneath her earlobe to elicit another load groan from her as his thrusts began speeding up, and Roxie clung to his shoulder with one hand, closing her eyes and holding his head against her neck with the other.

The sound of his pleasured groans by her ear made Roxie's ecstasy that more intense, and she began moaning loudly as well as his thrusts reached a rapid pace.

"Oh, Frank…yes…yes…."

"Do you like it?"

"Yes, oh please don't stop, Frank…"

"You feel so good, Roxie…"

"Frank…You feel unbelievable…."

His heat was now almost unbearable, it had seem to grow with his passion, but Roxie barely registered it with her lust filled mind. Their moans continued until Frank lifted his head and looked right at Roxie, in the exact moment when she felt herself fly over the edge as she climaxed staring right into Frank's hypnotic eyes, moaning out his name.

"Oh, Roxie…" he groaned, before kissing her fiercely as, with one last thrust, he climaxed as well, moaning his pleasure in her mouth.

Roxie welcomed his relaxed body - now decidedly cooler - against hers as he lovingly placed long, lingering kisses on her mouth and she caressed his hair. Roxie could not believe the absolute state of bliss she was in. "It was perfect…" She breathed.

"Yes it was," he answered, smiling at her and leaning in for one last, deep kiss.

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><p><strong>AN: **And there you have it… Frank and Roxie's first time! Aren't they adorable together? :D  
>I just LOVE…. Love!<p>

Movie plotline will start shortly…

PS I thought the 'heat' detail about Frank's body would come in handy further on with the developments of the story...

...Stay tuned! ;)

xxxxxx -Kayla


	10. CH10: Bitter Turned Sweet

**A/N: I HAVE NOT ABANDONED THIS STORY! Sorry for the shoutout, I thought I'd better get this straight! :D Hello my readers! How have you been? As you can tell, I've been through a sort of RockyHorror block phase, but THANKFULLY it's over and I'm back writing! I'm on a roll and I can't wait to get this story going! **

**I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, Frank and Roxie's first time together was really special to me! I'd like to thank everybody that reviewed/favourited my story, shoutouts to:**

**_Flower-Of-The-Moon-0822: aren't they adorable?  
><em>****_HeadInTheClouds130: thank you, I appreciate your comment especially because I really care about writing Frank 'right', and yes, he really does care about her feelings, and it's something new that also scares him, as you will see in this next chapter!  
><em>****_SammiRichGurl : aww, thank you, I am too! :)  
><em>****_a black rose: thanks so much for reviewing all my previous chapters, again it's really important for me to get feedback ESPECIALLY for Frank, so whenever I read that you fellow fans think I've got him right it always makes my day, really! Hope you keep enjoying the story!  
><em>****_NationGentaObrien: haha, well, what can I say? I knew you'd love that last chapter, I did! :) Our diabolical plan for this cute couple is just getting started… LOL! Thanks a bunch luv, enjoy this next one too…_**

**For everybody else, enjoy the next chapter!  
><strong>**Slight mature content up ahead… Mostly angsty stuff though.**

**To our next update!  
><strong>**xoxoxo  
><strong>**-Kayla S.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 10<br>****Bitter turned sweet**

The sound of a distant waterfall was lulling Roxie in a deep, peaceful slumber. She drifted freely into nothingness, feeling her body light as a feather, and her heartbeat echo in her ear. She sighed contentedly, shifting her head to adjust herself on the softness supporting her….

Slowly, her senses began to flow back, and the world began to re-emerge little by little from the fog of her dreams. She realized it was not a waterfall she was hearing, but the shallow breathing of somebody who was sleeping, and the heartbeat echoing in her ear was not her own. The soft nothingness supporting her assumed a solid form, as Frank's chest heaved rhythmically beneath her.

Her first through was, "What am I doing in Frank's bed?"

Then, she remembered. Her own heartbeat began to increase rapidly as the memories began to flood back. Her eyes fluttered open. She was lying on top of Frank's chest, her arm loosely draped around his shoulder, while his was snaked around her waist, keeping her close to him. The proximity with his body made her blush, and when a second later she realized they were both naked she barely contained a gasp of surprise.

She pulled up the sheet from her waist, covering them both, then slowly lifted her head up to look at Frank. She was slightly startled to find him already awake, looking down at her. The first thing she noticed was that he was not, as it had appeared to her the night before, without makeup. His face seemed to hold the remains of the previous days', though it was now slightly smeared and was starting to wear off. He looked, she noticed immediately after, even more stunning than usual, if it was even humanly possible.

"You look lovely when you sleep," he whispered to her.

Roxie's mouth hung slightly open, not sure what to say to the man she had just slept naked with for the first time. That had _not _been how she had expected her late night visit to go. He seemed to read her mind and chuckled, grinning at her.  
>"Are you embarrassed, love?" when her only answer was an increased blushing of her cheeks, he shook his head and spoke softly, "Now, now, baby," he lifted a hand to stroke her cheek, "No need to feel uncomfortable with me… Especially," he added, lifting her chin up, his accent underlining each word beautifully, "When it was such a <em>wonderful<em> night."

"It-it…was?" she finally managed to stutter.

He raised an eyebrow, giving her a knowing look, "Was it not?" Before she could answer, he leaned in and pressed a languid kiss on her lips, instantly igniting a familiar fire inside her and reminding her of how he'd made her feel. He parted from her and stared into her eyes, his voice somewhat more serious, "It was an extraordinary night, Roxie. And… truthfully, I'd been waiting for it to happen for a long time, now…"

He was interrupted when the bedroom door opened. He looked up to see who it was.

Roxie, between being speechless by his confession and growing even more conscious of their naked bodies beneath the covers now that somebody else had entered in their dream-like haze, barely took notice of Magenta fussing about in the bedroom. The maid was carrying a wheeled breakfast tray, which she left in the middle of the room, and then moved along to open the curtains, speaking to Frank as though she hadn't yet taken notice of the situation.

"Good morning, Master-" she saluted him in her strange accent, pulling one set of curtains open and moving on to the next, "I hope you had a good rest. Breakfast is ready, Columbia has left the castle to go get groceries, Riff raff is in the lab, and the only thing seems to be missing is Roxie. I went to check on her in her bedroom and she wasn't there-" She stopped mid-sentence when she turned around and came face to face with the two of them, wrapped together underneath the covers. "-which would explain _why_ I couldn't find her," she finished, succeeding in keeping her voice and her face perfectly expressionless.

Frank was still holding his arm around Roxie, who unconsciously cowered closer to him when Magenta turned and saw them, and he gave the maid a severe stare.

"Magenta," he spoke, his deep and commanding voice now completely different from the soft one he had just used with Roxie, "That is all right. Thank you for breakfast, I will be in the lab shortly. Now. Please leave us."

Magenta nodded curtly, bowing slightly before them before heading straight for the doors and turning around to close them behind her.

"…Oh, and Magenta?" Frank added before she could leave, his voice decidedly softer.

"Yes, Master?" she asked, peering discreetly back inside.

He glanced at Roxie, then at her, "I think, perhaps, if you could – uhm," he cleared his throat.

Magenta gave him a whimsical smile, "My lips are sealed, Master." And with one last curt nod, she gracefully closed the doors.

Frank let out a sigh of relief.

"That…was extremely awkward," Roxie commented.

"I must agree," he replied.

"Will she…think badly of this?"

"No," he answered promptly, "Magenta is a faithful servant. She will not say a word."

"Oh. Right." Roxie replied, looking down at her hands as she fumbled with the sheet. He looked down at her and smiled, "Rest assured, little Roxie," he placed another quick kiss on her temple. "Now," he added briskly, untangling himself from Roxie, leaving her slightly surprised by his change of attitude, "I must prepare myself and go to the lab, unfortunately I have an enormous amount of work to do today. I'll just pop in the shower for a few minutes."

He got up from the bed, the covers slipping off of him and leaving him completely naked before Roxie's eyes, making her cheeks blush furiously red once again. He turned around and raised an eyebrow when he met her embarrassed expression. "Well, now," he said sarcastically, "You certainly shouldn't have to seem so surprised after last night…." He turned around and headed for the bathroom, adding, "Feel free to help yourself to breakfast, if you wish." before locking the door behind him.

Roxie stared, speechless, at the bathroom door. She was stunned by the sudden coldness and sarcasm that had overcome him, as though she wasn't his concern at all. 'You shouldn't have to seem so surprised'? 'Help yourself to breakfast, if you wish'? Roxie shook her head. A horrible feeling of uneasiness began to tie her guts in a knot, and she found herself blinking back tears.

Once he was inside, Frank leaned on the door and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. _What had he done? _He exhaled sharply. Ok, Frank, he told himself. Stay focused. _You idiot. Idiot, idiot, idiot. _He reprimanded himself. What the hell had he been thinking? Treating her like that after last night? He let out a frustrated sigh. Damn him and his emotional malfunctions.

It was so typical of him – whenever a situation embarrassed him, or overwhelmed him, or, more simply, like in this case, just made him feel so _emotional… _There he went, pulling a wall up for self-defence and behaving like a careless bastard. He'd done it just a few times before. But why with her? He shook his head. No. She was different. Roxie didn't deserve this. She was special, and he knew it. Special, in every way. And he had to prove it to her. She deserved better, he thought nodding to himself. Suddenly, he smiled as he was overcome with the urge to go and kiss her, and tell her again how wonderful it had been last night. "Roxie!" he called.

When he swung the bathroom door open, however, he found the bed empty. She had gone. A feeling of dismay spread at the pit of his stomach, followed by a wave of anger. What was she _thinking, _leaving like that? He stepped back inside the bathroom and slammed the door behind him, heading to the sink and placing his hands on either side of the cold white marble bowl, hanging his head between his shoulders.

_That ungrateful little bitch, _an angry voice in his head said. _Just who does she think she is? Waking me up, in the middle of the night – _he looked at himself in the mirror, raising an eyebrow as a mock voice of Roxie rung in his head, - _"Oh, Frankie, I'm so scared! Hold me, kiss me, take me!" Well look where that took you! Ha! That little-_

**FRANK! **Another voice, louder, shouted at his mindless rant, bringing him back to his senses. _What am I talking about? _He thought, his inner voice quivering, _It's Roxie… How could I think such a thing? She's never been anything but good to me… And now this is what I think of her? And I was the first person she came to, when she was scared. Because she trusts me. Because she cares for me. Because she couldn't stand the thought of even dreaming I would not be there for her! And no, you do not regret it. Not a single second of what happened. The only thing you are doing is being scared because for once, someone managed to make you feel something other than your blind egoistic sense of being superior to everybody else! Admit it! _He frowned, looking at himself in the mirror and feeling a sense of self-loathing invade him. _Frank N Furter, you son of a Transylvanian bitch. You don't deserve a single look from her!_

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Perhaps he'd better just get ready and go to the lab, he thought. He might as well get to work. He resigned to promising himself he'd deal with the problem later, when he'd managed to blow off enough steam. He got up and set the water in the shower running.

He promised. He'd find a way to make it up to her. Later.

* * *

><p>When Roxie glumly headed to lunch, she saw that Frank hadn't shown up, which only increased the feeling of dread in her stomach. What had she done so horribly wrong that had made him regret spending the night with her? She watched silently as Magenta set down a plate of food in front of her, but she barely managed to get halfway through it as the others chatted around her, before she got up and excused herself from the table. The three servants eyed her curiously, but nobody said a word. Just before she left, she exchanged a quick glance with Magenta, who kept her face emotionless but seemed to understand her distress signals.<p>

Roxie spent the rest of the afternoon alone in the library, quietly reading to herself or gazing out the windows, getting lost in her thoughts. Last night's events played over and over in her head, making it hard for her to concentrate on reading for long.

The more she thought about her night with Frank, the more she felt miserable, for she realized how _wonderful _it had been for her – just like he'd said. But then why had he begun to shun her after Magenta had walked in? It was obvious that he was embarrassed to have been discovered by the maid with her, and had tried to get quickly out of that situation. That was the only explanation. Roxie felt tears brim her eyes.

And yet, the way he had made her feel so _special… _she had felt so alive, so enthralled, so – she chocked back a small sob – _loved_, even. She had realized how long she'd wanted that moment to come, and what her feelings for Frank meant. And she had felt amazing knowing his feelings for her could be the same. She felt so happy… and that was what made her want to cry. She wanted to go to him and throw herself in his arms, to tell him how good he made her feel, to revel the sensation of being with him, to feel his body against hers again… But the fear that she would only annoy him by doing so froze her on the spot. He probably thought she was just a dumb lovestruck girl, who would from now own only fawn over him whenever he passed her by. _I've been so stupid, _she thought to herself, fighting back tears, _If only I hadn't forced him to comfort me so insistently… _ She spent the rest of the afternoon stuck with these thoughts in her head, unable to bring herself to do anything about them.

Dinner came, and when she heard Magenta calling she felt her heart sink. She knew she would have to face Frank at the dinner table now. What if he was still annoyed with her? She forced herself on her feet when she heard Magenta calling her again and took a deep breath. She would try her best to come out of this situation, she thought. And there was only one way to do so.

* * *

><p>Frank watched Roxie sitting to his right out of the corner of his eye as he ate his food. Magenta, Riff raff and Columbia were having an animated conversation about some sort of earthly custom he knew nor cared nothing about, but his full attention was focused on her. He watched her play around with the food on her plate with her fork, keeping her head down and apparently not caring about any of them.<p>

He felt guilty because he instinctively knew this had something to do with his dismissive behaviour from that morning. He could not bring himself to come down for lunch, because he was still thinking of a way to tell her he was sorry. But he knew he could not also skip dinner without raising suspects from the others, so he had resolved to test the situation before thinking of a possible solution. He had not, however, expected to find her so glum, so lost in thought, or simply… so sad. He felt another pang of guilt, and watching the way she almost seemed sorry she was taking up space at the table made him want to carelessly throw his plate away and take her in her arms. He had to fight to keep from getting up and taking her away, just him and her, right then and there.

Roxie misinterpreted his tense behaviour for yet another sign of him not being happy to be there, and felt more and more helpless by the second. How could she tell him how happy she was – or had been - feeling, like this? She forced herself to eat, the food tasting like sawdust. She kept her head low and did not participate in the others' conversation, noticing Frank did the same.

After an excruciatingly long time for the both of them, dinner was over and Magenta and Riff raff began to unset the table like every night. Frank decided it was the moment to make things right with Roxie, and started to lift himself up from his chair.

"I'm sorry," Roxie preceded him, suddenly getting up as everybody looked at her, "I'm not…feeling very well, I'll just go to my room."

"Wait, I'll come with you," Frank replied, quickly getting on his feet as well and gently taking hold of her wrist.

Roxie froze on the spot, already turned to the door. Was he trying to be alone with her to tell her what a mistake they'd made? The irrational fear of the thought made her heart race, and she quickly responded, "No thank you…"

"Please, I only-"

"Frank, goodnight." She cut him off curtly, not looking at him, then tugged herself free from his grasp.

"Roxie, wait-" Frank called after her half-heartedly, but she had already swept out of the room.

Frank watched her go, not knowing what to do, and he felt Riff raff's and Columbia's inquisitive eyes on him until Magenta decided to take it upon herself to break the silence by clashing one plate on top of another, making everybody jump as the tense moment was lost.

* * *

><p>Roxie lay huddled in the corner of her bed, the dim candlelight from her nightstand casting a warm glow on the book she was reading. Her eyes scanned the words over and over, not being able to make sense of what they meant. She felt tears begin to fall silently from her face, dripping down on her lap. She gulped. How could she have been so stupid? Maybe, Frank had really just wanted to talk with her about the situation. It would have been her chance to get to clear the air about that morning, and she had thrown it away. And now, she had just made things worse; it seemed as though something that had started off as tiny as a small misunderstanding was swelling up into a huge whirl of negative feelings that was swallowing her up, making it hard for her to breathe. She shook her head and set the book down on her lap, wiping the tears from her eyes. What an idiot she had been.<p>

She almost didn't hear when the door creaked open, but when she looked up she felt her heart leap in her throat.

"F-frank," she said in a shaky voice.

He seemed completely different from the tense, frowning person she'd seen just a few hours before at dinner. She noticed he'd also changed, and was now wearing the same black satin nightshirt and pants from the night before. He looked at her with a mix of guilt and sympathy.

"Uhm… May I come in?" he asked softly. Roxie merely nodded, mesmerized by his usual beauty and charm despite the situation.

Wordlessly, he closed the door behind him and walked towards her. She watched him climb onto the bed, and her heart began to pound seeing him climb his way up to her. Still not speaking, he placed himself right above her and she instinctively followed his movements by setting her book aside, as he raised his hand to cup her cheek.

With one fluid motion, he drew himself up to her and she automatically closed her eyes, just before he leaned in and kissed her.

Her head was spinning madly with a mix of nervousness and tension, but her heart sang. This was what she wanted!

Roxie immediately responded to the kiss, letting the book fall to the floor and wrapping her arms around him, burying her hands in his dark curls. He moved closer to her, molding his body against hers as he took hold of her waist and pulled her close to him.

They broke apart and leaned their foreheads against each other, their breaths shaky, keeping their eyes closed as they began to speak together.

"Roxie, I-"

"Frank-"

They chuckled nervously at their unison, before saying together: "I'm sorry."

They widened their eyes, both surprised to hear the words from each other.

"_You're _sorry?" Frank asked, frowning, "After I treated you like that this morning?"

"I thought I had annoyed you!" she replied, "I thought I'd been too insistent asking you to comfort me and that I had done something wrong to upset you!"

"Upset me?"

"Yes, I thought you were avoiding me all day!"  
>"I thought <em>you <em>were avoiding me all day, and I thought you were angry at me at dinner!"

"Angry? I'd never felt so embarrassed my entire life!"

"Embarrassed?"  
>"You don't know how much!"<p>

"Me too!"

"_What?_"  
>"Yes!"<p>

Despite the situation, they both chuckled with relief realizing what a big, silly misunderstanding they'd had.

"Well," Frank said, "Seems like we had a little bit of a rough start, didn't we?" he gently rubbed his forehead against hers. She nodded and smiled weakly. "Serves us right for not talking to each other immediately," he added.

Roxie nodded, "I agree," she then looked away, lowering her voice glumly, "I thought I'd been too needy with you. I thought you had regretted spending the night with me."

"_What?_ Roxie," he answered immediately, shaking his head and turning her face towards him, "Don't even think that, not even for one second." He saw her eyes shine with tears and whispered, "Clingy? You came to me because in a moment of distress, because you trusted me. How could I think you were being needy? And I would not regret…" he stopped, sighing deeply as he looked away. He slowly drew himself back from her and slumped besides her on the mattress, lying his back against the headboard. For a moment, he stared up at the ceiling, then he sigh again.

"Baby," he whispered to Roxie, "Come here."

In what seemed to Roxie as a flashback from the night before, he opened his arms for her and she scooted besides him, huddling herself in his embrace and immediately feeling at home. She hadn't realized up until then just how much she'd missed the sheer physical contact with him, even if it had been only a few hours ago since she'd been embracing him. Frank also felt his heartbeat speed up slightly, and a feeling greatly resembling happiness lit up inside him at having Roxie back in his arms.

He rested his head on hers, stroking her hair with his hand. "Roxie," he explained, "I'm afraid I am terrible at expressing any sort of emotion I might feel. I seem to completely lack the capacity of dealing with another person's feelings, especially when they send me off guard." He looked down at her with an intense gaze. He drew her face to him, turning serious as he kept his eyes locked with hers, "Last night…" he began, taking a deep breath, "Was…It was extraordinary for me, Roxie. And I'm afraid I can't express how, to you, but you'll just have to believe me when I say I would never, in a million years, regret a single second of what we did. And I do cherish every moment I spent with you last night. And I really am grateful you came to me." He stopped, waiting for her reaction.

She looked at him with wide eyes, searching for the right words to say, and when she spoke her voice quivered with emotion.

"Oh Frank," her voice broke, and she gulped back her tears again, "You…you made me feel so….so happy… It means so much to hear you say…" she looked away, wiping her eyes, "Oh for God's sake, I only seem capable of crying in front of you, don't I?" She let out a teary chuckle.

He giggled slightly at her in response, before gently turning her face towards him. He rested his forehead against hers. Roxie looked up at him with expectant eyes, and felt her heart begin to race once again with the familiar exhilaration he made her feel. He planted a soft, chaste kiss on her lips.

"Peace?"

"Peace," she responded.

He grinned, leaning down once more to kiss her. The day's tensions, mixed with the relief of their mutual confessions, added to their mutual attraction for each other soon awoke their desire. The contact of their mouths melded together sent an electric jolt of adrenaline rushing through them, and before they knew it their passion began to take over.

Roxie unexpectedly heaved herself up, pushing Frank back. He pulled her towards him and fell back on the mattress, taking her on top of him. She settled herself on his lap, as he gently placed his hands on her thigh, as they both smiled in the kiss.

"Frank?" Roxie whispered when they broke apart.

"Hmm?"

She pecked his lips softly, her heart racing before she confessed, "I…I missed you today."

"Well then," he responded, giving her a knowing look, "It seems like I wasn't the only lonely person around today, was I?" his gaze softened as she giggled, and he stroked a strand of hair behind her ear before admitting, "I missed you too, baby."

Roxie's eyes lit up slightly when she heard him say that, and Frank himself felt a strange jolt of excitement and – dare he say it? – nervousness tug at his guts when he realized he really did mean it. It had taken up to that moment for him to realize he really _had _missed her all day long – which was why he'd been in such a bad mood, in fact.

But the slightly queasy tone the moment was taking on already began to make him feel uneasy, and he decided to take it upon himself to change the mood. He smiled mischievously as the position they were in became much more evident to him and another, much more tempting thought crossed his mind. Roxie saw this and mirrored his playful smirk.

"What's going on in your mind, ?"

"Hmm," he purred in his throat, "I think I recall somebody telling me how much they particularly enjoyed a… _gesture _of some sort –" Roxie's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open as she realized what he was talking about, "Yes…Quite….enjoyed it….Here-" he continued, grabbing her by the waist and turning them over so that he was laying on top of her – "NO!" she squealed in delight as he did so – "Let's see if I remember what that was…" He adjusted himself on top of her, ignoring Roxie's playful cries of protest which soon turned into laughter, mixed with sighs of pleasure, his own guttural laugh vibrating against her skin as he began to kiss and bite his way across her neck up to her ear, sensually nibbling on it and whispering in a deep voice, "…And I missed this too, baby."

She looked up at him smiling, before he leaned in and kissed her deeply, as their hands began to rid them of their clothes and they blissfully revelled the newfound feeling of their naked bodies touching, as they began a new night of passion, making love to each other.

After they had climaxed, Frank lay down on top of her, sweaty and exhausted, falling in her welcoming arms. He cherished the feeling of her bare chest beneath him heaving peacefully, calming his racing heart. He looked wordlessly at her, her eyes half closed as she lazily scratched his damp hair, and she smiled contentedly at him. They exchanged a long, meaningful glance, before he returned her smile, placed a kiss between her breasts, and lay his head on her chest. He clung to her tighter, holding on to her while a strange need of comfort overcame him. Her smile remained on her face as she understood his wordless request, and wrapped her arms snugly around him to hold him close to her body. She kissed his head, and they fell asleep lying like that, a warm feeling of happiness enveloping them both in their sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Is this working? Could you picture Frank going all freaking-out and then regretting it? He really does look like a sweetheart deep down to me, doesn't he?**

**BTW, I got the idea of his whole 'conscience-debate' by a newly leaked interview Tim did back in the 70's where he said something along the lines of, "Frank wouldn't hurt a fly, but he does suffer greatly from his tempter,", so I thought it'd be nice to try and show the sort of bipolar moodswing-ish moments he has, when something new excites him or makes him emotional or makes him feel something good, I guess.**

**So, after giving myself a big 'aww!' for the cuteness of this last tidbit, I realized I'm sort of having a big dilemma on which direction I should take the story from here, whether I pick a path that makes me follow the movie's events from start to finish OR another one that would have only a certain part of it – That's why I'm postponing Brad and Janet's arrival for a little while still, plus I also necessarily need to make another few things regarding Frank and Roxie happen BEFORE they arrive, so… In any case, the two loveys will be joining in the story shortly! I hope to hear from you all! **

**PS I don't know about you, but I just LOVED writing Magenta for this chapter! Haha... Go Mags! XD**

**Lots of love xxx**

**- :) Kayla **


	11. CH11: Revelations

**A/N: **On we go! I think I've pretty much made up my mind on where to take this story, postponing the movie's start just a little bit more. Enjoy and please review!

**THANK YOU **to those who commented+favourited the story so far.

**HeadInTheClouds130 – **Thank you for the comment on Frank's portrayal, i keep saying this but it's always really important for me to get character feedback. And yes, i do believe frank is one sweet guy deep down! ^_^  
><strong>Daughter-of-mcr –<strong>I'm so honored you think so well of my fic! Thanks!  
><strong>SammiRichGurl <strong> - thank you, thank you!

Big chapter up ahead…. Time to shake things up a bit!

WARNING: Mild sexual situation + drug use.

To our next update!  
>xxxxx<br>kayla

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 11 <strong>

**REVELATIONS**

A week after their first night together, Roxie was beginning to become accustomed to her new relationship with Frank. However, they had a wordless agreement to keep their status undercover with the others, and reserve their displays of affection for the bedroom… or anywhere else whenever they were alone, for that matter. As Roxie soon realized, once he'd gotten started, Frank seemed to have an insatiable need for…. 'physical attentions', and she also found out she was _very _easily persuadable, as it were.

It would only take a tiny thing: a touch which brushed accidentally against a patch of skin, a look which lingered a little too much, an involuntary malicious twitch of the lips, and they found themselves all over each other, kissing and caressing sometimes a little too eagerly. This concluded in them finding themselves, a couple of times, in rather awkward or otherwise ambiguous situations with the other inhabitants of the house, whenever they got carried away in places other than the bedroom and someone happened to accidentally walk in on them. Once, it had been Magenta, and she had simply raised an eyebrow as Frank and Roxie scrambled to readjust themselves, before turning around and leaving, mumbling something about 'house chores' waiting for her.

But then Riff raff had once walked in on them: just outside the lab, when a light 'enjoy your work' kiss Roxie had meant to give Frank before she left him turned into a turmoil with Frank losing control and pushing Roxie into the wall, heaving her up and holding one of her legs to his waist as she playfully nibbled his neck. Riff raff had suddenly appeared around the corner, and had taken a few steps back in shock. Sensing his presence, Frank immediately turned around and let go of Roxie, trying his best to uphold an air of superiority as he fixed his mint-coloured lab coat and Roxie attempted to re-button her blouse up. Riff had respectfully nodded, murmuring something incomprehensible before passing them by and entering the lab. Despite the moment of panic, Roxie had giggled.

"We've got to be more careful," she'd told Frank, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I must agree," he answered, looking all that much more adorable with his hair tousled and cheeks flushed. Roxie, who had quickly picked up on his attitude and had become quite mischievous herself, bit her lip playfully as a thought ran through her mind.

"Of course," she whispered, walking her fingers across his shoulder to his neck and gently stroking his dark curls, leaning closer to him as Frank raised a questioning eyebrow, "Now that he _has _seen us…." She wrapped her arms around his neck, "…Maybe we might as well say the damage is done and get away with it, no?" She raised her face to his until her lips were almost brushing his, then stopped, frowning, "Hmm…Or maybe not?" she retorted, leaving Frank confused for a second as she mockingly slid her arms down his chest, pretending to sigh dramatically and turn away, "No, I guess I'd better just leave, you've obviously got a lot of work to do-" She tried to pull away, but Frank caught up with her bluff and held firmly on to her wrist.

"Oh, no," he murmured, as she faced him with a daring gaze and he grinned maliciously in return, "I really think not, my dear…." And with that, he playfully dragged her to the safe seclusion of a nearby empty broom closet, where ignoring her gleeful cries of protest he locked them inside and proceeded to finish what they had started.

Later, Riff raff could not help noticing a satisfied grin spread across the doctor's face, when he finally joined him in the lab. Eyeing him suspiciously, the handyman said nothing and carried on with his work.

* * *

><p>It was a dark, late afternoon, when Roxie was woken up from a nap by lightning and, finding herself alone, went looking around the mansion for Frank. After a while, it seemed as though she couldn't find him anywhere. If she hadn't known better, she'd have said he was hiding from her! She also couldn't seem to locate either of the servants, although she had found Columbia asleep in her room. The weather outside was awful, the sky black with storm clouds and the rain rattling against the windows. Roxie walked through the empty rooms, calling out for Frank in vain, and eventually reached the main staircase. She stopped in her tracks, hidden from view, when she heard somebody whispering downstairs in the atrium.<p>

"Leave now," a female voice commanded.  
>"G'day to y'all, miss," an unknown male voice responded, before the noise of a motorcycle filled the air and then quickly buzzed away into the distance. Roxie heard the door close and peered down to see Magenta walking away with a small package in her hands. She headed for that which was called the 'Zen Room' and furtively opened the door to walk inside. Roxie rushed downstairs to reach her, and caught the door closing in her face. She frowned.<p>

Coming from inside, she could hear Magenta's voice, mixed with Riff raff's. She could also barely make out what sounded like moaning cries of pain, and when she recognized that voice as Frank's her eyes widened with fear. Before she could stop herself, she charged inside the room, slamming the door open. What she saw made her jaw drop.

Riff raff was kneeling with a water basin besides a shaking, moaning mass, which Roxie recognized as Frank, who was huddled on his side, shivering and gasping for air, clutching his stomach as though he were in awful pain. Riff had just placed a damp cloth on his forehead. Magenta stood besides them, holding Frank's left arm in one hand and an object Roxie couldn't identify in the other. They all looked up when she entered the room, but the two servants stood staring at her silently.

"R-Roxie…" Frank stuttered when he saw her, fighting to keep his voice straight.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"Rox-xie, please, don't….just leave…go…." Frank pleaded, his face contorting in spasms.

He seemed to be going through some sort of withdrawal, Roxie thought, curiously eyeing the rubber band tied around his arm just below Magenta's hand… And then, her eyes widened in horror when she realized what it was that the maid was holding. A glass syringe, filled with liquid, was connected through a small plastic tube to Frank's arm.

Magenta had pushed down the syringe's cap, injecting the liquid inside Frank's body. Roxie gasped in shock as the realization hit her, clamping her hands around her mouth and stumbling backwards, falling over a metal vase. She scrambled up, her back colliding with the wall, and tried to blink the scene before her eyes away, not wanting this to be real and praying it was just a bad dream. A full-blown panic attack overtook her. But before she could overcome it, Frank had recovered enough to stumble to her side, holding her waist with one hand and her neck with the other, trying to gain her attention as she hyperventilated, her eyes unfocused and her breath harsh as she looked aimlessly around the room.

"Roxie! Roxie," he tried to call to her, "Calm down, baby. I'm here…please, look at me…" Roxie could only hear his voice echo in her head, and even as she looked at him she realized everything just seemed to be far away from her, as though she weren't really in that situation, as though this was someone else's point of view.

"Roxie!" When he saw she wouldn't calm down, he turned and beckoned Magenta to come closer. Roxie saw him take something the maid handed him, before ordering: "Leave us!"

She watched the two servants leave, and spoke softly, "What were they doing to you, Frank?"  
>"Shht," he shushed her, caressing her cheek with his hand, "This is going to make you feel better, love," and then he turned around and gently took her arm, wrapping the white tourniquet around it. He tied it securely and leaned closer to her, his eyelids half-closed because of his altered state, and she heard him whisper, "Everything's going to be all right, my little lamb. Do you trust me?" Without waiting for an answer, he kissed her languidly, probing her mouth open with his lips and caressing her tongue with his. He pulled away and gave her an understanding look, she had calmed down enough to stop hyperventilating and merely kept her eyes on him, breathing shakily. Frank turned and took a syringe in his hand. Roxie began fidgeting, trying to pull her arm away from him. He held firmly onto her.<p>

"Shush, love," he whispered, caressing her arm with his thumb, staring into her eyes again, "You must trust me, Roxie. It's going to be all right."

Roxie protested again, but he moved quickly and deftly plunged the needle in her arm, making her freeze for fear of breaking the syringe inside her vein. He emptied the contents inside her arm, then removed syringe and tourniquet in one swift movement and smiled at her as he dabbed her skin with a piece of cotton.

"Frank," Roxie chocked out, her eyes brimming with tears, "No…why…?"  
>He put the syringe away and moved closer to her, placing his hands on either side of her as he hovered above her body, his face besides hers. "Shhh," he cooed her once more, nudging her nose with his, "It's all right, love….it's all right now…You don't have to worry anymore…" But Roxie turned her head way from him. She didn't want to be with him right now.<p>

But he achieved his goal, as the drug drifted through her and began to effect her. She abandoned herself in a daze-like state, feeling helpless as it invaded her blood and took over her senses. She let Frank move her, laying her down on one of the oversized cushions spread across the room's floor. Everything started to become blurred, and Roxie felt as though she couldn't quite control her own body.

She felt a jolt of heat scorch her skin when Frank dipped his head in the crook of her neck and began kissing her there, moaning quite loudly as he settled himself on top of her. He let his hands drag themselves across her body, his mouth biting and sucking on every inch of skin he came in contact with. Roxie let him kiss and touch her, her vision becoming more and more blurred as she lolled her head back, closing her eyes and enveloping herself in the sweet softness that invaded her….

* * *

><p>When she opened her eyes again, it was dark. Her forehead and chest were clad with sweat. She lifted herself up on her elbows and looked around: she was still in the Zen room, but Frank had vanished. She breathed deeply to try and calm her nerves.<p>

When she decided she could handle getting up, she lifted herself off the floor and noticed, to her dismay, that she was naked. She gasped, then quickly scanned the room and found her undergarments laying nearby. She rushed over to them and put them on, feeling ridiculous standing like this in the middle of the house. She mentally cursed Frank, the angry voice in her head already planning what she could shout at him once she found him. Cross, angry and still slightly confused, she marched out of the room, determined to find him.

She looked out the windows and realized it was probably nighttime. She marched up the staircase, uncaring of any noise she could be making that could disturb or wake the others. She was so angry at what had happened and how Frank had behaved, that she couldn't even wrap her head around it properly. Starting to feel dizzy from the drug's after-effects, she saw her vision blurring and grasped the wall for support.

Her knees trembled beneath her, and she held her head in her hand. She took a deep breath. All right, she thought. I'll just go to bed and leave the fighting till tomorrow. She simply wouldn't be able to handle a discussion right now. Slowly, she began making her way to her bedroom. When she passed the lab's door, however, something made her stop in her tracks.

The door, which usually stood closed, was creaked open. From inside, Roxie could hear the whirring of a mechanical mechanism clicking and ticking away. A strange, eerie light shone faintly from the crack. Roxie looked around her. Nobody was in sight.

Before she knew it, her hand was on the handle and she pushed the door open. An incredible, irresistible curiosity overtook her, moving her inside the narrow corridor that led to the lab. As she got closer, the noises got louder. She could hear a machine huffing, and instruments ticking to life as though they were having a conversation. A low, guttural sound vibrated in the background, as though some heavy machinery was also in action. Finally, Roxie reached the clearing and stepped into the light. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

The lab, which she had never been allowed to enter before, was none other than what seemed like a gigantic, metal, electronic control room. Everywhere she looked, there were monitors, switches, levers, more monitors, keyboards, digital numbers scrolling, and lights going on and off. At the centre of the room, a single, huge screen rose from the ground, with black and white static shimmering on its surface. The noises she had heard came from an angle of the room where all the cables were connected, giving all the electronic components their power. Roxie stared at the huge screen, then diverted her attention to the other machineries.

Her eyes were on what the main control panel, and she had just taken a step towards it, when the static on the main screen suddenly disappeared and a face appeared on the video.

"Commander Furter," a voice, disrupted by static, filled the room. Roxie's heart leapt in her throat as she jumped back. "Commander Furter," the voice repeated, "Please come in. I repeat, Commander Furter, I demand that you answer. FRANK!"

Roxie tripped backwards, stumbling on her feet and falling right in front the screen. Her jaw dropped as the face on the screen turned to look at her and a woman who seemed to be the older, more feminine copy of Frank eyed her and raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Who are you?" it demanded, "And what have you done with my son?"

"I-I-I…" Roxie stuttered, unable to move or speak.

The face eyed her curiously, as though it was examining her, "Are you Frank's creation?"

"F-f-frank's….?"

"Answer me!"

"I-I don't….I…"

"Hmmm…well, you appear vaguely similar to our kind, you must be a humanoid."

"W-what?"

"Yes, I can see why my son would choose to work on a specimen like you…."

"A specimen-"

"Of course, I thought he'd have to destroy you after, to complete his miss-"

"NO!"

Both Roxie and the on screen face turned towards the door to see Frank running towards them, launching himself in front of the control panel and, ignoring the face's cry - "FRANK! At last!"-, pulling down a lever. A second after, the screen went blank. As if on cue, the lights in the room turned brighter, and the entire machinery died down. Roxie's eyes stayed glued on the screen, unable to react to what had just happened. She stood shaking on the floor, and forced herself to look at Frank. His back was to her, and she could see him breathing deeply, his shoulders raising and shaking as they fell back down.

Roxie cowered on the spot, painfully aware that she had just been standing naked except for her underclothes in front of what had appeared to be the hologram of Frank's mother.

* * *

><p>"F-Frank…" she began, but he suddenly spun around to face her.<p>

"What were you DOING HERE?" He bellowed, slamming his fist on the control panel, "I thought I'd told you NEVER to come here without my permission!"

Roxie's mouth hung open in shock. The fear she had been feeling quickly vanished into a wave of anger. "Excuse me?" she demanded, lifting herself up, "HOW DARE YOU?" she yelled back, rage mixing with adrenaline rushing in her veins. "I walk in here to find some sort of….of….of THING," Frank flinched ever so slightly at the word, "Calling your name and asking me if I was your…your…._humanoid_, and YOU have the nerve to tell me I shouldn't have been here?"

"That's because you SHOULDN'T have seen that!" he shouted.

"Well, I have!" She yelled back, now standing right in front of him.

"The connection with the base is lost, Master," a voice interrupted them. Both turned their head to see Riff raff and Magenta, both dressed in what seemed like spacesuits, entering the room. "The Queen was looking for you to ask you about your next –" He looked up and froze.

Magenta also stopped dead in her tracks. Both sibling eyed Roxie, then Frank, then Roxie, quickly realizing what was happening was not meant to have happened.

Roxie stepped back from Frank, glaring at the two servants and then back at him, her voice suddenly dropping to a dangerous whisper as she stood between them all, speaking through clenched teeth, "You'd better tell me what just happened here Frank, and you better tell me the truth," she spun around to face him when she heard him take a step towards her, blocking him, "Because I am NOT about to take some bullshit answer from you right now."

Frank's eyes moved from her to the servants, exchanging a quick debate with them and quickly making a decision. He looked back at her and sigh deeply.

"Roxie," he said slowly, "I think you'd better sit down. We need to talk."

* * *

><p>Roxie was speechless.<p>

She had listened to Frank explain, telling her his story. He told her about his home, and how he was on a mission for his people, and the reason why he was forced to live in seclusion from the rest of the world, along with his servants.

They were not human.

The thought ran over and over in Roxie's head, sounding either more and more ridiculous or frightening each time it rang in her ears. She tried to listen as Frank tried to apologize, and explain why he had to keep it a secret from her, but her mind kept going over and over that one single thought: he was not human. They were not humans.

Frank was kneeling in front of her - he had taken care to make her sit before beginning to talk. He took her hands in his, forcing her to focus on him again. "Roxanne," he said, "I know what you must be feeling right now, but please believe me… this was not how you were meant to discover it."

"Would you have told me?" she asked him suddenly.  
>"What?"<br>"If I hadn't found out today…would you have told me?"  
>He seemed at a loss for words, "I…I…." he looked away for a second.<br>"Frank….please," she pleaded, making him look back at her expectant gaze, "Be honest with me now." He sigh, before answering.  
>"Yes."<br>"…But I wasn't supposed to know."  
>"No."<br>"You still would have told me sooner or later?"  
>"…Yes. I would have." His eyes seemed truthful enough. For a moment, they looked at each other silently, and Roxie knew he was telling her the truth."So…what now?" she asked.<p>

"Well, I'm terribly sorry this accident had to occur," Riff raff suddenly spoke up, before Frank could answer. They both looked at him. "But I'm afraid we've gotten ourselves in a rather unpleasant situation… You see, according to our planet's law, you have discovered some state secrets and we are no longer safe because of your knowledge. Therefore, I'm sorry to have to say there is only one solution we must take in order to ensure our safety again…" And suddenly, he took a strange metallic object in his hand and pointed it at Roxie. She had no idea what it was, but her instinct immediately told her she was in very great danger.

Suddenly, things happened in very rapid succession. No sooner had Riff pointed the object at Roxie, that she leapt to her feat with fear, then saw Magenta stepping forward to stop him as, simultaneously, Frank also scrambled to his feet and put himself in front of Roxie, shielding her away from Riff raff.

"RIFF RAFF!" Frank shouted, "Put that laser away."  
>"But Master, our law-"<br>"_I _am our law here."  
>"She is dangerous-"<br>"And she is under _my_ protection."  
>"Nobody can-"<br>"You are forgetting the pact, Riff raff…"  
>"Yes, but she has not yet-"<br>"…and until she does or does not, and I remain in charge, you shall not lay a finger on her, do you understand?"  
>"But we need to do as the law-"<br>"We do as I TELL you to do," Frank growled menacingly, leering at Riff. "Now take that laser away from her or so help me, you'll be the next one I'll be pointing it to."

Riff held Frank's stare for a few slow, endless seconds, then seemed to give in and finally lowered the weapon. Magenta went by his side and took him by the arm, exchanging a quick glance with Frank and then leading her brother away. Before they could leave, however, Magenta peered behind Frank and her eyes widened in shock. "Roxie!" she shouted.

Frank spun around just as Roxie's knees finally gave way, and she felt herself fall to the floor as he rushed besides her and caught her just before she hit the pavement. Then, everything went black.


	12. CH12: Interplanetary Pact

**A/N: Next chapter is up! Whoo hoo! Took me forever to write this one. **

**Personal thank-yous to everyone who read the story and commented/favourited/set an alert for it – I love you guys so much! Thanks for supporting me in my Rocky horror addiction madness! :D **

**Also, thanks:**

Flower-Of-The-Moon-0822 (here you go with the next one darling!), HeadInTheClouds130 (I know,she's gone through a lot,I have a bit of a thing for tragic characters as you might tell :P About the drug part: it's actually fine if you're confused because it's meant to be one of the 'dreamlike' moments I put in the story where you're not quite sure if what Roxie's seeing and doing is reality or a dream. In any case, I wanted to address the whole 'Frank uses drugs' issue, and start showing a slightly darker side of him, when he would get to the point of drugging his own lover mainly because he himself is under effect and doesn't really know what else to do. Hope that makes sense somehow? Anyway, glad you think my Frank's in-character! Thanks!), Mrs-Furter (thank you SO much,I keep saying it but it means the WORLD to me to hear my readers like my Frankie!) NationGentaObrien (My dearest fellow frankie fan, I haven't yet answered your last message but I will! And please don't be depressed- our little Roxie is still alive, and about to face her discovery face to face with Frank….enjoy!)

Everyone, enjoy! Let me know what you think, as always. XXX  
>-Kayla S.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 12 - <strong>**INTERPLANETARY PACT**

As Roxie was laying unconscious on his bed, Frank watched over her.

It had only been a few hours since the scene in the lab, but she had not recovered yet and he was starting to feel anxious. He wasn't quite sure, however, if he was more worried for her or more worried for _himself _for being so anxious. He turned to look out of the window towards the forest, and let his mind wander. He was not used at finding himself in such a situation – as a matter of fact, had he _ever _found himself in such a situation before? He sigh, deep in thought.

When Roxie had first arrived at the castle, he had honestly not expected things to go this way, at all. He'd had a completely different idea in mind, behaving the way he usually dealt with situations such as this – bear his plan in mind and follow it, regardless of who or what it involved.

But as time had gone by – and how long had she been here now? Months? Days? Weeks? It all seemed very blurred to him, sometimes the concept of time confused him, somehow it felt like she'd never really _not _been there – Roxie had somehow managed to _change _his plans and most importantly, Frank acknowledged with a tug at his stomach, change _him._

There was no use denying it: Roxie had become far too important for him to ignore what was happening. He'd felt truly affectionate towards her ever since the beginning, that was true – even before they had even kissed. And that had meant that, when their relationship had developed to the next level, he hadn't been able to face it like any other 'physical need' he'd had. He had been much more involved with her, straight from the start. He couldn't bring himself to think of her as a sex playmate of some sort, she was – he turned from the window to look at her sleeping form as he thought this, feeling a tug at his heart as he did so – she was….she was his Roxie, she had become his lover, his little lamb….a beautiful creature.

He turned back to the window and sigh again. So it was. Maybe he had not intended to become so involved in the situation at the very beginning, but truthfully, what was wrong about that? He surprised _himself _for thinking such things - far be it from his usual nature to feel so emotionally attached to another person in his life- but apparently there was always something new to learn even about one's self, and Roxie's arrival in his life and his consequent, deeply emotional attachment to her had proven that to him. And after all, if truth be told, this turn of events actually helped his original plan regarding that damn pact…. He closed his eyes.

He dreaded thinking of what would happen now. He had _not _intended the lab scene and Roxie's discovery to happen – not this way. And just as he was acknowledging Roxie's importance to him, he also had to face the terribly delicate situation of dealing with the consequences of what had happened. And he knew that what he would do and what would happen once she woke up would determine whether or not he lost her, for good.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Roxie stir. He returned to her side just as her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at him right away, but didn't say anything. He stood there silently, waiting. But when he saw that she stood still, he leaned forward and tentatively outstretched his hand towards her. She flinched away – just as he had feared. Frank set his hand back down and sigh.

"Roxie…"

"Don't."

"Please…"

"No." Her gaze was cold, though he looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Roxie, you _must _understand…."

"I said don't start, Frank." She looked away.

"But how can you-?"

"How can I?" she fired back, glaring at him, "How could _you! _How could you, Frank?" her quivering voice gave away her distress, "You lied to me. You lied to me about everything. _Everything!_"

"That is not true!" he objected, "I did _not _lie to you about everything, I…I did not mention certain aspects of my past."

"_Certain aspects-?_" she repeated in a mocking voice, but this time he was the one to silence her with an intense glare.

"…But I can swear to you that I have not, _ever_, lied to you about the things I _did_ tell you. I have not lied about who I am, with you. And I most certainly have _not _lied to you about certain things, which you might remember," he concluded in a low voice, making Roxie feel a jolt in her stomach when she realized he was talking about them. She met his stare and looked at him in silence for a few moments. Then she sigh, speaking in a whisper, "I don't know who you are anymore."

At this, Frank was suddenly shifting himself besides her, ignoring her reluctance to be touched by him and taking her hands in his. "Roxie!" he spoke anxiously, keeping his eyes locked with hers, "I'm still me! I'm still the same!" And as if to underline what he was saying, he brought her hands to his face and set them on his cheeks, "Roxie, I beg of you," he pleaded, pulling on her arms to make her look at him as she turned away, "Look at me! Please…"

Hearing the plea in his voice made her finally glance back, and she felt her heart sink when she saw his big emerald eyes filled with distress and shining with tears he was fighting to hold back.

"What do you expect to hear from me?" she whispered after an eternally long silence.

"I expect _nothing _of you," he answered promptly, "I just want you to understand that…that yes, things are different now, under certain aspects perhaps, but what's important it that, as for me…as for us…_nothing_ has changed!"

"How can you say that?"

"Because that's the truth!"

"Frank, I can't see how you could think-"

"Why do you find it so hard to believe what I'm saying?"

"Well, _excuse me _for finding it slightly difficult to cope with the fact that you're an…you're from…" But Roxie couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, and tore her gaze away.

Frank hung his head, sighing deeply.

"Listen," he spoke with a gentle voice, "You're right. I can't force you to immediately accept who I am and why I held this away from you up until now. And I probably can't understand what it means for you to discover this…." He took her hand and held it to his chest, looking her in the eye, "But Roxie, my darling, I _can _promise you that everything that happened between us is still and has _always _been real. Everything I _have _told you is still real. And…and most of all, the way I feel about you is still real." He stopped for a moment, searching for the right words. "Back in the lab, what I did…protecting you from Riff raff…and the things I told him…they're all true. I didn't do it out of pity or contempt, I wanted…" He paused, and Roxie held her breath as she realized what she was hearing held a much deeper meaning than she had expected, "I wanted to protect you. And when he pointed that laser towards you, it made me realize that...because the truth is, I…I couldn't bear the thought of seeing you harmed." He laughed bitterly, letting go of her hand, "When I saw him take aim, for a moment I- I blanked out. I thought I was just going to kill him." He stopped at this brutally raw confession. Roxie saw that he was staring now downwards, his gaze unfocused, and his hand was clenched in a fist resting on the bed, shaking.

He lost his train of thought and jumped slightly when he felt her hand close on his fist. He looked down to see both her hands holding his and raised his face to meet her eyes. Her eyes seemed understanding, but there was still a veil of mistrust and confusion overlaying them. Instinctively, Frank opened his fist and took one of her hands in his. She watched him raise it once again to his face, while he kept his eyes locked with hers. He tentatively set it against his cheek and then slowly turned his face to plant a kiss on her palm, closing his eyes and tenderly nudging against her skin.

Roxie also closed her eyes, the contact overcoming the fear and confusion and reminding her of the way he always made her feel. She sensed tears swelling up in her eyes. A part of her was still frightened by the thought that she was standing in front of an alien, but her heart ached to pull him in her arms when she also realized that he was telling the truth: despite everything, he was still her Frank and she still felt that wonderful spark glowing between them.

Probably sensing her longing, as he usually did, Frank dared to lean forward until he touched his forehead with hers. It had become their own personal gesture of intimate affection, and she didn't pull back. Roxie momentarily forgot her fear as Frank gently nudged her nose with his and she closed her eyes, leaning back as he pushed her slightly. The contact with him sent shivers running through her body, and she gave in to the electrifying sensation he gave her, her mouth parting slightly as she breathed softly. Frank knew he shouldn't do it, but temptation overcame him and he tentatively leaned in towards her mouth. But when she felt his lips brush against hers, Roxie's eyes jerked open and she jolted back to reality, pulling slightly away from him. Frank stood still, his breath slightly heavier, and after a moment she leaned her forehead back against his, though she did not kiss him back.

"Frank…" she whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…I just don't know what…"

"Shhh," he cooed as he leaned back slightly, taking her hand again and placing another gentle kiss on the inside of her wrist, "I understand. You don't have to do anything right now, darling. Just promise me…" he kissed her palm again, frowning as the struggle to keep himself from any other physical contact with his lover strained him, "Promise me, you will not be afraid of me. I swear to you that I will respect your space and I shall not force you to have any sort of contact with me, unless you desire, until you grow accustomed to this…new situation, if only you tell me you will try to understand. But please, I beg of you, my darling, my little Roxie…my little lamb…" and he opened his eyes to look at her when he said this, making Roxie's stomach jump at the mention of the childish intimate nickname he had given her, his emerald eyes sparkling as he begged once again, "Please do not fear me."

Roxie nodded, her eyes glued to his. "I promise you, Frank."

He nodded as well, but then couldn't keep himself from turning his face again and placing yet another kiss on her wrist, this time letting it linger and moaning softly.

"Except - Is _this_ all right for you, love –?" he murmured against her skin, keeping his eyes closed.

Roxie smiled slightly, "Yes, Frank. But why are you doing it?"

He moaned again in response, "Mmmh…Oh, my darling…because you are simply too irresistible to me…" he was now grasping her wrist with both his hands, languidly placing kisses from her wrist to her palm, nudging his face against her skin. She watched him, mesmerized. "I simply _must_ have a way to have some sort of contact with you, Roxie. I apologize, I know I just finished promising you I wouldn't do I, but I quite simply cannot stay near you without touching you - It pains me immensely to have to hold back, Roxie, you are so…addictive to me…"

Roxie was hypnotized both by his words and by the extremely sensual way he managed to look even as he nuzzled against her hand and kissed her skin, his eyes closed. He brushed his cheek a little higher on her forearm, and suddenly Roxie was reminded of something.

She chuckled softly. "Your skin."

"Hmmm…? What's that, darling?" he demanded, placing one last kiss on her palm and then resting his face in her hand as he opened his eyes to look at her.

"Your skin. It's always scorching hot whenever you're with me…physically," she added slightly embarrassed, making him arch an eyebrow, "I've noticed it ever since…the first time." she mumbled, "I was wondering, is it because you're…?"

He grinned his usual chesirecat grin, "Why, you noticed it immediately, didn't you? Nothing ever gets by you, does it? My little Roxie…" he sigh, lifting his face from her hand and leaving her feeling much cooler, "Yes, love, it is indeed due to my…nature. I have a tendency to heat up, so to speak, and not just metaphorically." He winked at her and she immediately blushed, making him give her a knowing look. Then, he looked away and sigh.

"I should probably go in another room to sleep now…"

"Frank, wait."

He stopped in his tracks and turned, his heart leaping with expectation despite his better judgement. "-Yes, Roxie?"

"I…I want to know another thing."

He waited for her to continue.

"What you told Riff in the lab. The…pact. What was that about?"

Frank's heart sank. He should've known this too was coming.

"What pact was he talking about, Frank?"

He fidgeted uncomfortably, "Roxie, I'm not quite sure tonight is the right moment –"

"Frank," she cut him off, looking intently at him, "If I'm going to trust you again, I'm going to need to know that you won't be keeping any more secrets from me."

Frank bit his tongue. He knew she was right, of course. She was absolutely right, and like it or not, now he had to tell her. Even though he would've much preferred another moment.

"You're right," he said, setting himself back down in front of her. She scooted up closer to him, waiting expectantly.

"When I…arrived here, I was sent on a mission – and let's say I'll tell you about that another day, shall we?" he added promptly, raising an eyebrow when he saw her curious expression. She understood, and nodded. He continued, "What's important is that I was sent here for this mission, and I was given a certain period of time to complete it. When that time had passed, I would have to report back on my success or failure. If I succeeded, I would go back home. If I didn't, I would also go back, but…with other consequences." He eyed her meaningfully and she widened her eyes.

"You mean they'd _kill you _if you failed?"

"Well, possibly not. But I would certainly be bringing a great disappointment to my family, and the consequences of a hypothetical failure would _not _be looked upon nicely from my people, I can assure you of that."

_My people. _Roxie remembered Riff raff referring to the hologram as 'the Queen', and suddenly realized another very shocking detail. "You're…a prince. You're their prince."

He hesitated for a second, then decided he might as well say it as it was, and nodded. "Yes, I am."

"You're here on a mission for your own people to prove yourself as ruler, and they're all waiting…waiting to judge you, waiting to test your worth. Waiting to see if you succeed or fail."

"Impressive intuition, love," he replied, surprised.

She raised an eyebrow, "I must've read one too many horror stories."

He chuckled, then continued, "Yes, well, in any case, I must see to it that my mission is completed, because when my time is up I shall have to return home, winner or not. And unfortunately, my time has slowly but surely begun to wear out."

Despite still feeling overwhelmed by the fact that they were talking about alien missions and princes, Roxie's heart sank when she heard him say that. "You're…you're going to have to leave?"

Her distress leaked through her voice, and Frank gave a small smile when he realized it meant that she didn't _want _to hear that he could be forced to leave. "I'm afraid so, Roxie." He saw a flash of anxiety pass on her face, and watched her anxiously anticipating his next words before he added, "…Unless, I consider the pact."

He immediately saw another flash of wild hope light up her face. He grinned got up from the bed, continuing, "You see, my darling… before I left, I was given this time limit to accomplish my mission like I told. But I was also thankfully able to settle a pact between myself and the Great Council, responsible for sending me here," he had now reached an antique wooden cabinet placed along one of the walls, and opened its oak doors, "The pact established that, as long as I proved to be following my mission and my research for the sake my people, there would be one way, only _one_ way, for us…for me, especially, to remain here, for an indefinite amount of time," Roxie saw him pick something up and close the cabinet's doors again, before turning back towards her, "But you see, it _is _rather difficult for me to find a way to fulfil this one condition, because we had all vowed to keep our nature a secret from humans, and fulfilling this pact using force and violence upon someone would not validate it. Therefore, a series of events would have to occur in order for the right situation to present itself….such as, stumbling upon a human who would be willing to fulfil the pact with me, exclusively at his own will, " he stopped and sat down besides her. He was holding something in his hand, but she couldn't see what it was because he was hypnotizing her with his sparkling eyes. At the same time, slowly but surely, she began to put the pieces together as he was speaking, and her heart began racing.

And then he spoke again, his velvety voice deep and solemn as he proclaimed, "…An eternal bond, a sacred relationship with one of the inhabitants of the world I had come to discover…" And Roxie's heat beat frantically as he kept his gaze locked on hers and she felt him take her hand, turn it over, and place a small object on her palm, before closing it and, with a voice full of meaning, grinning and concluding solemnly, "…A marriage."

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	13. CH13: DEADLY STING

**A/N: NEW CHAPTER!**

**I'm debating on how much longer I should drag the pre-RHPS storyline, before I actually introduce Brad and Janet in the picture. But – and I know I keep saying this – these are probably the last couple of chapters I need before I start on the original movie storyline. **

**As always, a big heartfelt THANK YOU for everybody who favourited, followed and commented the story! **

**Guest – I'm sorry I need to refer to you anonymously, anyway thank you for your review and I'm so surprised the story actually kept you awake! :) I hope you keep enjoying it!  
>Miss Savvy – Thank you! The best RH story on the site? Wow, that's a huge compliment! I'm flattered! Glad you like my portrayal of Frank, it's always great to know if I'm keeping him in character!<strong>

**HeadInTheClouds130 – Your review made me laugh! A proposal, out of the blue: now wasn't that unexpected?! :) In any case, you'll find out more about it in this next chapter, stay tuned! I do like to play with cliffhangers, after all Frank always leaves you shivering with antici…..**

**tanakaL – thanks for pointing out the grammar mistakes, unfortunately my computer tends to skip some of them and even though I proof-read every chapter, sometimes I miss a few. I'm happy you like the story!**

**Guest - ….I hope I keep you shivering with antici….PATION!**

**Guest – Well, I'm flattered that you feel 'drugged' by my story, and if so I hope you keep enjoying your 'addiction'! I promise I'll try to update sooner, I don't want to leave my readers going through RH fanfic withdrawal! **

**Next updated coming very soon, I promise!**

**xxxx**

**Kayla S.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 13<strong>

**DEADLY STING**

The night seemed to go on forever.

Roxie lay in Frank's bed, staring at the ceiling, her eyes wide open. She couldn't make out how many hours had passed since Frank had turned the lights out. By now, she could see the full moon glistening in the sky through the windows besides the bed.

Her mind was filled with so many thoughts and so much confusion, that she thought of everything and nothing. Every now and again, just as she was about to succumb to sleep, a thought would strike her mind and wake her up all over again. Phrases, words, which sent a jolt running down her spine: _...aliens…mission…marriage…proposal…Prince…pact…_

When Frank had placed the small object from the cupboard in her hand, Roxie had already known what she'd find, and so it was no surprise to her when she looked down and saw what she was holding: a sparkling, silver engagement ring with a huge blue rectangle gem shining in the middle surrounded by a set of small diamonds. It hadn't been a surprise, but the view of the marvellous gem had still taken her breath away.

"I don't want you to think badly of this," Frank had said, "Like I told you, the pact necessarily implies that the decision _must _be made only by my future companion's will, and _only _with her approval can I consider the proposal valid."

However, quite strangely, before Roxie could muster a reasonable response Frank had then seemed to change attitude and had briskly taken the ring back from her, murmuring, "So, that's the explanation you asked for." Then, he had set the ring back and had bid her goodnight, saying he suddenly felt very tired. He left her to sleep in his bed for the night, heading for one of the many guest rooms to sleep.

This last reaction of his had left Roxie even more confused. She wasn't really sure, if he had actually proposed to her or not. Deciding that it was a subject she'd better face with him directly another time, she'd tried to push the matter out of her mind and rest. But her brain, of course, had had other plans, and so she'd stood wide awake, thinking the whole situation over through the entire night.

_"What am I to do now?"_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Two days later…<em>**

Two days had passed since that night, and Roxie was now curled up in her own bed. The rain outside pounded on the window panes, and she snuggled her face a bit deeper in her pillow. She felt restless, as the scene that she had witnessed just a while before replayed in her head…

"_Master, please, you musn't-"_

"_SILENCE!" the command was followed by the sound of smashing glass._

_Roxie stopped dead in her tracks. She had finally decided to venture out of her bedroom after the nearly two days of seclusion she had forced herself into, having asked to be left alone for a while to think, and accepting only to receive the food trays that were left outside her door three times a day. A spark of courage had finally pushed her to end her isolation, and she headed for the dining room, wondering if she could find the strength to casually join the others for their meal. But when she had reached the half-closed doors leading to the dining room, she'd heard Frank's voice, discussing with Magenta and Riff raff. Frank's voice sounded distressed, and Roxie, arriving within earshot, had stopped in her tracks when she'd heard him say her name midsentence: "…no use, Roxie isn't ever going to understand!"_

_Then Magenta had tried to intervene, but he had silenced her with his command of silence, and Roxie had felt the tension in the air rise considerably as the sound of breaking glass was heard._

"_This isn't going anywhere," Frank said, sounding terribly upset. Roxie could imagine him, his head slumping between his shoulders as he leaned with both arms on the table, "I can't bear this situation, but I don't know what to do anymore."_

"_Perhaps you could…be a little more persuasive with the girl?" _

_Roxie had felt her skin crawl as she heard Riff's suggestion, not because of what he was implying to Frank, but because the memory of him pointing a deadly laser at her was still fresh in her mind. Evidently, Frank had managed to convince him that having her by their side was for the greater good?, she thought._

"_I can't do that, you idiot," Frank spoke through clenched teeth, "Because I PROMISED her I wouldn't DO anything unless she wanted to!" _

"_But you haven't even tried to talk to her in two days," Magenta had protested, "How can you know what she wants?"_

"_Well, under the current circumstances, it seems pretty obvious that she does not wish to have anything to do with me, don't you agree?" Frank sounded bitter and, most of all, hurt. Roxie frowned._

_So Frank thought she was rejecting him? Hadn't he been the one who'd told her he understood that she needed time to…well, 'readjust' to this whole new situation? Apparently, the separation from her had not gone well with him. Roxie had imagined that being separated could have affected him negatively, especially after the way they had grown…intimate, over the past weeks. But since she hadn't seen him in two days, she hadn't realized it had affected him so much. _

"_Master, please don't say that, the girl cares greatly about you-"_

"_And what? Do you think I don't care for her just as much, if not more?" Roxie was taken aback when she heard his voice quiver, "Do you think that I didn't wish I could go to her and tell her? Or end this…this…this ridiculous separation, and find an answer? Don't you think that it's killing me, to have to force myself from her because she's locked herself away so that she doesn't have to face me? So that she doesn't have to have to do anything with me?" _

_There was silence for a few moments, and Roxie held her breath. _

"_Leave me alone, I don't want to be disturbed," she then heard Frank order, before the sound of steps and chairs being moved told her that he was heading for the door. She panicked, then promptly hid behind a column just before he yanked the door open, striding past her without noticing her and heading for his bedroom. After a few moments, she heard a door slam. _

"_I don't like this," she heard Magenta murmur._

"_The Master is feeling weakened by this separation. Ever since he failed to try and proposed to the girl, he had been feeling rejected…Maybe we should talk to her about it…"_

"_Leave her alone, we wouldn't be doing anybody any good," Magenta stopped him, before adding, "Just keep an eye out for the Master. Just in case." _

_Roxie sprinted for the stairs, begging that the two wouldn't see her, and she didn't stop until she was safely back inside her room, her heart pounding and her mind reeling with what she had just heard._

"_Ever since he failed to try and propose to the girl…."  
><em>Riff's voice echoed in Roxie's head, haunting her. She turned over, facing the ceiling. So Frank _had _tried to propose to her two nights ago? A voice in her head spoke to her: _What if he DID?_

She felt her heart leap at the idea. Now she had the certainty that he had. _What would she have answered? _She could hardly think about it without hyperventilating. Had she shown too much hesitation, which had made Frank change his mind? But then again, he hadn't given her a chance to reasonably elaborate the situation, so how could she have given him an answer just like that?

But still…

The thought now insinuated through the cracks of her mind, making her temples pulse with agonizing intensity and spinning her other thoughts in a mad swirl, as visions of what could happen if she had said yes began to flash in front of her eyes. She tried to block them out, but her heart was still pounding in her chest, and the voice in her head kept asking: _What would your answer have been?_

Roxie shut her eyes tightly, trying to ignore the persisting voice, which had been joined by various other ones, all asking questions about the proposal or insinuating future scenarios of what her life could be like with such a marriage. Amongst all these voices she heard one that sounded distinctly like Frank's, which initially repeated some of the things he'd said to her, and then also began questioning her intentions and her feeling towards him. The voices began to swarm all together in her head, creating a beehive of confusing whispers, and Roxie clamped her hands over her ears, begging them to stop. Then, the noise ceased suddenly as somebody slammed the door open.

Roxie stood up in bed, startled to find Riff raff bursting into the bedroom.

"Who-wha-whe-why are y-" she stuttered, bolting upright, her head spinning.

Riff raff interrupted her before she could continue.

"The Master has had an overdose."

Roxie felt as though her blood had instantly turned to ice. The freezing feeling swept over her from her head to her toes, sending an eruption of painful chills running down her spine. Her mouth dropped open in shock. Immediately, she thought, _This is my fault. _

"Wha-what did you say?"

"The Master. He has had an overdose," Riff replied, sounding slightly annoyed, before adding briskly, "I think you'd better come with me as quickly as possible, Miss."

And in a flash, all of Roxie's worries about aliens, princes and far-off planets vanished into thin air. She leapt to her feet and dashed out of the room, with Riff rushing behind her to catch up. She slowed down just enough to let him guide her down the corridor, zigzagging through the halls until he made a rough turn and entered Frank's big, majestic bedroom. Roxie entered through the door so violently that she stumbled into Riff, but she shoved past him without apologizing. She ran to the bedside, her widened eyes already fixed on the unconscious figure lying beneath the covers. Magenta stood by his side, applying wet cloths on his forehead and gently dabbing his left forearm where Roxie could see a big blue bruise forming. Columbia stood at the other corner of the bed, silent and pale-faced as well.

The sight of Frank looking this way made her want to cry. He stood motionless, his skin was unearthly pale, his lips were turning violet and his body occasionally shuddered with involuntary spasms.

"W-what happened?" she gasped.

Magenta looked up at her, as Riff walked up besides them, and answered, "We found him like this. When we arrived he was still conscious."

"He…asked for you," Riff added, and Roxie could hear the trace of bitterness in his voice. Still her heart leapt when she heard his words – Frank had asked for _her._

_I shouldn't deserve his attentions like this,_ she thought, thinking about the way she had been pushing him away. And still, he'd asked for her, because he wanted her by his side while he was ill. The thought made tears form at the brim of her eyes.

"How could this happen to him?" she asked, her voice shaking. She'd known, and had experienced first-hand, that he had an addiction. But the semi-overdose she'd seen him go through the night before the scene in the lab now seemed like nothing compared to this.

How could the same thing happen again, worse this time, in such a short period of time? Could Frank make the same mistake two times in a row, taking an excessive dosage? It seemed unlikely for someone as intelligent as him…Unless…Roxie felt another chill overcome her.

_Unless it hadn't been an accident. _And he'd done it on purpose. But why? Again, Roxie felt her heart sink as the answer hit her. _It really WAS her fault, then. _Her behaviour had driven him to do this to himself, once she'd started rejecting him, and he'd begun to think she would never accept what she'd learned.

"Roxanne, are you all right?" Columbia asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Roxie was yanked from her thoughts and realized that they were all staring at her, and she was taking long breaths of air with her mouth gaping open. She felt sweat covering her forehead. _This must be another nightmare,_ she thought. _It must be._

"It's my fault," she whispered.

"What?" Columbia asked.

"Roxanne, please, don't-" Magenta began, while Riff stood silent. Roxie's panic grew.

"No, it is," she interrupted her, "This never would've happened if it hadn't been for me-"

"Oh, Roxie, please don't say that," Columbia asked, but Roxie flashed her an angry glare.

"How was he feeling in these two days, while I was locked away?" she demanded, turning her head to Magenta and Riff when she didn't receive an answer, "Huh? What was he doing? What did he tell you about me? How was he taking it?" None of them spoke, and Roxie felt dread spreading through her veins as her doubt was being confirmed. She continued. "I heard the discussion you had in the dining room, all right? I was there, hiding. He told you how I reacted. How I treated him. He told you he wanted to find a way to fix things with me, but he was desperate because he didn't know what to do and he didn't want to force me to accept a situation I didn't feel comfortable with. He would've been ready to do almost anything to try and solve this problem. Right? Right? ANSWER ME!"

The three of them jumped at her sudden anger, and after another few seconds of silence, Riff raff spoke."Yes, he did."

The words hit Roxie like a boulder, and she broke down in tears, clamping her hand over her mouth. "Oh God…" she moaned.

"He was…very upset about your situation." Magenta confirmed, cautiously choosing her words. Columbia still said nothing, but nodded. The maid set a tentative hand on Roxie's shoulder, "But, Roxie, you mustn't think he would take such a drastic action… He has responsibilities, for the sake of all of us, the mission, his plans…." Roxie shuddered at this reminder, "…And most of all, he would never put you through this distress. He cares too much for you!"

Roxie swallowed her tears and looked at Magenta, "It's not about the distress he'd put me through…it's about going beyond the limit of what is right or wrong, because you feel you have no other choice to be able to have back what you thought you were losing."

Magenta was silenced by her words, and Roxie looked away. She sat down besides Frank, her eyebrow frowning as she took in his figure once again. She took one of his hands in hers, gently stroking it with her fingers.

"Please leave," she whispered softly, but nobody moved. "_Please, just _leave us _alone_!" she repeated more forcedly. This time after a moment's hesitation the three servants exchanged mutual glances and got up to leave the room, closing the door behind them.

As soon as she heard the door close, Roxie began to cry softly, sniffling and wiping her eyes as she moved to the other side of the bed. She climbed on the mattress and pulled the covers down, before crawling underneath them and nudging her way towards Frank. She hesitated, then placed a hand on his chest. His skin was ice cold. She maintained the contact, testing to see what she felt by touching him once again. She waited.

She had expected to feel strange, intimidated, maybe even scared, to find herself so close to him for the first time since the night of his revelations, now knowing who he really was. She looked at his face: his features were relaxed, and although his forehead was still damp with sweat he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. His eyes were rimmed with black makeup, and his full lips were shaded with his usual red lipstick. His damp curls framed his face. Even in these conditions, he looked exceptionally beautiful. Roxie gazed at him, trying to tell herself that he was an alien and that she should be afraid of him. But instead, she realized that she didn't feel the least bit afraid. Looking at him, she couldn't force herself to think he was a dangerous creature from another planet; all she saw was Frank, her Frank, as if nothing had ever changed from that night.

She placed her other hand on him as well and slowly began moving both of them across his body, his shoulders, chest, stomach… And she still felt no fear at all. She dared take it a step further as she gently pulled on his shoulders so that he lay on his side, facing her, then she took one of his arms and draped it across her waist. Her hands trailed back up to his face, holding his jaw and tilting his face towards her. She ran her thumb across his cheek softly.

She wasn't afraid of him. This was what she wanted. This was what she had been missing so much over these past few days. She pulled herself snugly besides him, pressing her warm body to his cold one and trying to convey some of her heat to him. She felt a tingle of goosebumps pleasantly running down her body at the familiar feeling of Frank's body coming into full contact with hers.

She snaked her arms around his chest and held on to him, snuggling her face in the crook of his neck and closing her eyes. She inhaled his scent deeply, the familiarity of it also striking a chord in her heart. Tears streamed down her face as she held on to him.

Her occasional sniffs were the only sounds in the room apart from Frank's extremely slow breathing. She clung onto him tightly, trying not to break down in sobs and wake him. She didn't know whether she was crying because she was upset to see him this way, or because of the realization that had just dawned on her.

Because right there, at that very moment, she realized something very important. For even though she could hear two hearts beating, in her chest and through his ribcage, she suddenly realized that, in her mind, those two hearts were beating just as one.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Slightly sappy ending, I know, but I needed to show how Roxie is realizing that she really doesn't care who Frank is, because her feelings for him are sincere. Did you like it? Let me know! Reviews make Frankie happy! :D **

**-Kayla S-**


	14. CH14: When Plans are to be Changed

**A/N: And here I am, as promised! **

**Many many thanks to everyone reading, commenting and favouriting the fic!**

**Shout-outs to my reviewers!**

**tanakaL – Well then, I'm happy I was responsible for a good wakeup! Thanks for the suggestion, I've decided the original movie storyline should start within the next 2chapters. Enjoy! :) **

**Guest – That's right, let's go with drugs such as chocolate cake and cotton candy! Yum! Your review made Frank very happy…thank you! **

**Guest – I'm glad you could enjoy the chapter after a long day! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it.**

**Miss Savvy – A sad turn of events indeed, but…don't despair! Frank is a very strong hero… :)**

**xM – Here you go! :) that's right, isn't he adorable?!**

**As always, remember that reviews make Frankie and Roxie happy! :)  
><strong>**This chapter is particularly long, because I decided I might as well get done with the due explanations, so that I can start the storyline soon. **

**WARNING: Mature content. ;) **

**Enjoy! To our next update! xxx  
><strong>**Kayla S.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 14<strong>

**When plans are to be changed**

"Roxie…"

Roxie moaned tiredly, nuzzling her face deeper in the cushion she lay on.

She heard a soft chuckle, as someone called again, "Roxie…wake up…"

Her eyes finally fluttered open, as daylight stung them and she winced. Again, she heard a soft chuckle coming from above her head. She lifted her face and gasped.

Frank was looking down at her, a whimsical smile playing on his still exceptionally pale face. It hadn't been a cushion she'd been laying on, but his torso, and as soon as she realized this she scrambled upright, afraid she was hurting him. Her mouth hung open in shock.

"Frank…" she gasped softly, "You…you woke up…you're all right…Oh my God…"

"Oh, come now, it was only a momentary weakness," he dismissed the situation, though she noticed his voice was still breathy and strained.

"But, Frank,…." She began, but he cut her off.

"- No need for all this fuss, now, really!" he gave her another grin, but she could see from his face he was still tired and still weak.

Roxie shook her head, then sigh, "Well, I better go call Magenta and Riff raff-" She turned around to get up, but felt Frank take her arm gently. She froze and turned back around, already knowing why he'd stopped her – and the look on his face told her she was right.

"Don't go. Please." he breathed.

Roxie merely nodded and sat back down. He gave her an understanding look, letting go of her arm, and she watched him try to struggle to get up.

"Would you mind helping me up, darling?" he asked her, giving her a pleading look. She nodded again, and without thinking leaned over to place her hands on the sides of his chest, helping him lift himself up. He settled down against the headrest. When Roxie pulled back, she saw him looking at her almost incredulously. "What's the matter?"

"You touched me…Without wincing or hesitating…And it's the first time since…well, that night," he answered, his voice unsteady, before he added in almost a whisper, "So you're not afraid to touch me anymore."

Roxie suddenly realized that he had just put her to the test, and she hadn't thought twice about touching him because any sort of fear she could've felt towards him until the night before was now far gone. But of course, he hadn't known that until now. Seeing the faint glistening of tears in his eyes now made her heart swell in her chest. She also felt tears prick at the corner of her eyes, and shook her head vigorously. "No," she said, then leaned in towards him to further prove her point, laying on him gently so as not to hurt him. She placed her hand on his chest and slowly dragged it up to his face, as he watched her, placing it under his jaw and turning his head towards her, looking him in the eye and whispering, "I'm not."

"Oh, Roxie…" he breathed, leaning closer to her.

She tilted her head up as well, so that their faces were only a breath apart, and they stood still, their lips almost brushing against each other, breathing deeply. Frank closed his eyes anticipating the kiss, but quickly opened them again when he felt Roxie's hand press lightly on his forearm, where he held the bruise from his overdosed injection. He hadn't noticed she'd glided her hand down his chest and arm, and was now gently pressing her fingers over the bruise.

Frank peered down at his arm, then back up, and saw that her shallow breathing was now interrupted by slight sobs as she closed her eyes and frowned. "Frank…" she whispered, opening her eyes and looking at him seriously, "Why…_Why _did you have to do this?" She sounded on the verge of tears.

Frank's heart sank seeing her like this, but he'd known what consequences he'd be facing before he acted. "Must we really talk about this now…?" he sigh dramatically.

She eyed him more sternly. "Yes, we do," she answered firmly, then suddenly pulled away from him, straightening herself up, "Do you have any idea how this made me feel?"

"Darling, I know, you're upset right now, but - "

"Last night," she cut him off, "I thought…For a second, do you know what I thought? I thought I'd lost you, Frank. I thought I'd lost you, for good…" she repeated, her voice cracking as new tears formed in her eyes. "Why did you have to do this, Frank? Why this way?"

"Because I thought I had no other choice!" he exclaimed, also starting to feel teary-eyed. She stared at him in silence, and he continued, "Because I thought I had already lost _you, _and I was desperate and I was foolish enough to make a choice that I knew, I _hoped_, would affect you in the same way you've been affecting me…." He trailed off, taking a moment before continuing, "Because I…." he looked away, as the tears threatened to take over. Roxie's heart beat at twice the usual rate.

He shook his head, sighing, "I realized I can't stay away from you." He turned to look at her again, "I don't want to. Not like that. Never. And…" he took a deep breath, "Being pushed away from you like that was already killing me, anyway." He lifted himself up from the headrest, leaning on his arm as he placed a hand on her chin and lifted her face to him, smiling weakly at her with tears now evident in his eyes, as he asked, "Can you forgive me? For hurting you once again, my little lamb?"

She kept her eyes lowered as he leaned his forehead down against hers, and placed a hand over his, speaking in a trembling voice, "Frank…" she choked back a sob, "Don't you…ever…_ever…_do something like that to me again, do you understand?"

He closed his eyes, nodding. She tightened her grip on his hand, and he responded by doing the same. "That was the _stupidest _thing…You could've done, for everybody. Me, your companions, your people, your mission and most of all _yourself. Don't ever try something like that again. Please_..." she looked at him pleadingly, "Don't ever make me think I lost you again."

Frank nodded, touched by her words, before pulling back and opening his arms for her. "Oh my little Roxie…Come here…" He whispered.

Roxie let go of all her defences and buried herself in his embrace, wrapping her arms around him tightly as he clung onto her, resting his head on top of hers. She allowed herself to cry freely at last, relieving her tension as he simply held her and stroked her back, placing kisses on her hair. After a while, she pulled back from him. He peered down at her inquisitively.

"So are you…All right with this? With…Who I am?" he asked her anxiously. He had to know immediately. She shook her head again.

"Yes…No…I don't know," she answered honestly, "But…All I know is I don't want to be away from you any more than you do." He nodded, understanding, and she continued, "And…And I know that maybe this isn't a good enough answer for you, but I don't know…Frank, I can't lie to you and say it's already all fine and over for me, but I…I've realized that you were right. You're still…you," she placed her hand on his cheek as she said this, and he smiled at her, "You're still my Frankie…And now you're all right, and you're here with me, and the worst is over…and that's all I care about right now." She ran her thumb across his cheek, keeping eye contact with him. She felt his skin begin to heat up beneath her fingers and smiled softly at him, as he mirrored her expression.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked him.

He nodded, "I'm fabulous, baby."

"I know you are," she replied jokingly, and he chuckled.

He slowly dragged his arm across the bed, intertwining it with hers, and also placed his hand on her cheek. His touch sent a renewed wave of heat flowing through her, and his grin widened a little as her expression lit up.

"How about you," he then asked her in his low voice, "…My little lamb?"

"I'm just…I'm so glad to be here with you," she answered simply, "Oh, Frankie..." she breathed.

Feeling his body heating up so close to her again made everything else around her disappear from her mind. She leaned forward, touching her forehead to his again, like they always did, and closed her eyes. He breathed deeply, also closing his eyes as he nudged her forehead gently. They stood still, almost afraid to move, listening to their breathing.

Then, tentatively, Roxie moved slightly forwards, and Frank dared take the chance to lift his face level to hers. Again, they stood still for another few moments, until they dared to move closer still. Their lips finally met in a chaste kiss, as Roxie could not repress the feeling of electric sparks between them and abandoned herself in the familiar gesture. Frank frowned slightly as he tasted her lips once again against his. Roxie then brought her hands up to cup his face, parting gently from their first attempt of renewed physical contact, and they exchanged meaningful looks.

"I've missed you," she whispered.

"My little lamb," he called her by her pet name once again, "I have missed you too. So very, very much." And he leaned in again to claim her mouth, but they were interrupted when the door opened.

Magenta and Riff raff entered the room, stopping in their tracks as soon as they realized they had interrupted something. "Master, we apologize-" Magenta began, but Frank cut her off.

"What is it?" he demanded, as he and Roxie separated.

"We…came to see how you were doing," the maid answered.

"We're happy to see you have…recovered so quickly," Riff added, eyeing Roxie.

Frank noticed this and shot him a warning glare, before saying, "I thank you for your concern. It seems that I have passed the most critical phase of overdose during my rest, but I might need to ask you for another medicine injection later on," he told Magenta, who nodded. "Are there any other news from…home?" he then asked Riff raff, who nodded as well.

"Yes, Master."

"What is it?"

"The Queen requested a communication, so Magenta and I took care of it. She asked for you but we were able to…avoid too many explanations. She had an announcement to make –" he stopped abruptly, eyeing Roxie again.

"Riff raff," Frank spoke menacingly, "Until I tell you otherwise, you are to stop leering freely at Roxie as though she were filth, and start treating her like part of this family. Is that clear?"

Roxie stood quietly by his side, clutching on his bicep in a childlike manner. After a few seconds, Riff raff nodded, diverting his eyes definitively from her. "Yes, Master."

"What did my mother have to say?"

"The Queen announced that the…convention will be joining us a little sooner than we imagined."

Roxie felt Frank's muscles tense beneath her hands. "How sooner?" he demanded.

"They are scheduled to arrive next week."

Frank sighed deeply, "I should've known she'd want to take matters in her own hands sooner or later…"

"Wait," Roxie intervened, suddenly realizing what she had just heard, "_They? _They're coming _here?_ You mean…" she looked at Frank, "Your _people _are coming here?!"

Frank closed his eyes, shaking his head, "Roxie, please, not now. I'm going to explain everything to you later," he promised, giving her an understanding glance, and she nodded, trusting him. "Very well," he then declared, looking at the two servants again, "Magenta, Riff raff, I'm afraid I won't be fully recovered for another few days, so I ask that you start the preparations you are already aware of. I'll do my best to be operative as soon as possible so that I can help you, but in the meantime you know what needs to be done before the arrival. Oh, and we'll both require rest for now, and food in a few hours. And also, tell Columbia she can call that good-for-nothing rascal and tell him to meet me in the lab in a few days, when I'm back on my feet. Now leave us," he then ordered, and the two left them alone once more.

* * *

><p>"Roxie," he immediately turned to her. He gave her a reassuring smile, beckoning her back in his arms as he readjusted himself on his side so that they stood facing each other. He wrapped one arm across her waist, tugging her slightly to him. "Listen, my little lamb," he said, "There's another plan I must tell you about."<p>

Roxie nodded, "You know I want to know only the truth," she reminded him.

"I understand," he replied, "And that is why I'm telling you this. There's going to be a…convention, of some sort, here at the mansion in a week, as you have just heard. That basically means that the Queen – my mother – has sent a group of Transylvanians to come and "visit", per say, us here on Earth. Of course, this visit of theirs is actually an attempt to check on how my mission is going; apparently my mother trusts me but not enough to leave me alone for too long… But I don't blame her, the Council is probably already starting to question my abilities, seeing I have been gone for some time now without showing significant improvements with my quest…"

"All right," Roxie answered, "Frank, what is your mission?"

Frank took a deep breath, "Well, I was hoping I'd have more time to let you adjust to the situation before giving you even more information, but, oh well…" he shrugged, "I suppose it's better to just say it all and be done with it. I was sent here," he adjusted himself a little higher on the pillows, "To pursue a research in bio chemistry. I was to study the inhabitants of Earth, who are very similar to the way we Transylvanians are, and experiment with different techniques our science has acquired and developed over the years to try and discover a new way of creating a form of life operating from an inanimate body."

"Wait, you're trying to create a human being?"

Frank nodded, "Yes, Roxie."

"But that's…that's impossible! And why would you want that?"

"Well, for many reasons," he replied, "Trying to defeat incurable illnesses, take advantage of a new form of humanoid biochemistry, even create new life forms when needed – genetically improved and modified soldiers during war times, for example. To control life would mean an incredible advantage on any other species across the galaxy. It was thought impossible, yes, but our science had started to develop some theories, which needed to be experimented, that could be the key to the solution. And I was chosen to come here and experiment on a humanoid for the first time, after numerous studies and attempts have been done on smaller life forms on our planet. I was chosen because I was one of the best students at our University's Science course, and because like I told you before the Council thought this would be an appropriate task for me to prove myself as a ruler."

"And…have you succeeded?"

Frank sigh, "Well, I can't say that my latest attempts have been a total _disaster_, honestly, but I'm afraid I still have a lot of work to do if I want to show them I am worthy of this mission…" he shook his head, "I'm hating myself for this, but I'm beginning to be afraid. I fear what will happen if the conventionists find that I am not suitable for my task and report my unsuccessful attempts back home to my mother and the Council…" he let the phrase drift off, staring ahead of himself with his eyes unfocused.

"But, Frank, wait…" Roxie spoke softly, and he snapped back to attention to look down at her, "What about…the pact…the proposal?" she asked, almost embarrassed to bring the subject up again. "Wouldn't that be a valid enough solution to protect yourself from them?"

Frank understood what she meant and shook his head softly, "Oh, Roxie…" he sigh again, "I'm afraid it's not going to be a possible solution right now."

Roxie suddenly felt inexplicably rejected, and her heart sank, "But…What do you mean?"

"I mean it wouldn't work," he answered, "Getting married to you is not the answer."

She frowned, looking away as a doubt entered her mind, "So you…You don't want to go through with the proposal anymore, because of what happened with me…"

Frank also frowned hearing her words, realizing what he'd said made it sound like he was refusing the proposal he'd made her and was thus refusing her as well. "Oh…No, no, Roxie," he tutted, "What I meant is that, if I got married now, now that the Queen has just announced that the conventionists are arriving…that would just make matters worse, do you understand? They would immediately think that I'd violated the pact and tried to force somebody to marry me just to get away with the fact that I'm not prepared with my research…And the Council would probably accuse me of breaking the pact, retire me from the mission, and of course cancel the matrimony. I am not going to take that risk. And most of all -" he placed a finger under her chin and turned her to face him, smiling at her, "I am not risking having an invalid wedding with you," he said firmly. "Do you understand?"

Roxie nodded, feeling her throat run dry as she once again had evidence that he had actually proposed to her. As she looked into his eyes, she felt like she wanted to tell him something, she felt like she should find a way to express what was going through her mind as the importance of the meaning of his words sunk in, but her own words failed her. Instead, he seemed to read her mind, as always, and simply grinned at her perplexed expression.

"Oh, my little lamb," he chanted, "You are far too precious to me, to make me take such risks with you…But then again, perhaps _you'd_ be better off if they _did _cancel our wedding, instead of having to spend your entire life with a mad scientist like myself!" he winked playfully at her, and she giggled. He smiled back at her and leaned forward to kiss her soundly on the lips. Her laughter immediately died out, and he felt her tense up at his unexpected move. He pulled away, a look of disappointment on his face. "I'm sorry, my darling," he apologized, "I keep forgetting that I should not be doing certain things if I am to keep my own promise to you…"

Seeing the sorry expression on his face made Roxie feel guilty for reacting like she did, but once again she didn't quite know what to say to make up for it. "No, Frank…" she stuttered, "I'm sorry, it's not that I…I don't want you to think it that way…I just…" she sigh, frustrated that she didn't know how to express what she meant.

Frank, however, seemed to understand her perfectly, just as well. He placed his hand under her chin, making her look up at him again, and slowly stroked his thumb across her lips. The caress sent a sudden shiver of lust rushing through Roxie, and she closed her eyes slightly.

"Oh, Roxie…" Frank breathed, pulling himself closer to her with his eyes half-closed. True to his word, however, he stopped a breath away from her lips this time. "I know…I understand," he said reassuringly, but his voice was thick with lust while he continued, "But I desire you, _so_ much, my little lamb...it's _aching_ me to have to keep away from touching you like I would want...do you realize it?"

Roxie was hypnotized by the way he moved his lips while he spoke and by the tone of his voice. She trembled at his words, beginning to feel a heat building in her thighs while he spoke, despite herself. She shivered even more when Frank, taking advantage of her momentary hypnotized state, dragged his other hand across the sheets, expertly running his fingers up her legs, across her thighs, and up her torso.

"I wish so much to be able to touch you again, little lamb," he whispered sensually, his every word dripping with desire making her stand perfectly still. Her breathing began to turn more shallow, and hitched when she felt his hand land on her breast while he spoke. She abruptly closed her eyes, involuntarily moving and pressing herself on his palm, which caused even more friction. He moved slightly away from her lips, brushing his forehead with hers as he hovered an inch from her.

He breathed in her ear, "Oh…But I know, I've promised you, I wouldn't do anything…unless you ask me to…" Roxie felt him grin. She knew exactly what he was doing, and he did too… and she also knew she was helplessly giving in…and he knew that too.

"Hmm," he murmured, "Although, I think I do recall being allowed to do something like this..." he lowered himself slightly from her ear and sensually placed a kiss on her skin there, nipping at it right after while simultaneously grasping her breast tighter. This made Roxie throw her head back and gasp, as he kissed the spot he knew was one of her most sensitive. Again, she felt him grin against her skin, "Oops, silly me. I was allowed to do that on your wrist, not here, wasn't I? Well, my darling, I apologize for my terrible mistake…" but still, he leaned forward and placed another nip on the same spot, "…OH, I'm truly sorry, old habits and all that… I'll stop now, immediately…if you'd like…"

He began to pull back, but was suddenly blocked on the spot as Roxie placed her hand behind his head and kept him there. He stood still for a few moments, feeling her shiver beneath him. Then he spoke again, this time having lost a little of his edginess, afraid he'd been too bold and was scaring her away from him again. "What's the matter, darling?"

"Frank…" she breathed, "I'm frightened."

Her voice however, he noticed, seemed breathy with excitement rather than fear. Still, Frank closed his eyes and asked, "Am I frightening you again, my lamb?"

Surprisingly, she shook her head. "No…"she answered, pausing, before she added in a whisper, "…I'm frightened because I want you so much."

Relieved to hear that, Frank nevertheless tried to keep his calm, knowing he still had to do something about the situation since she still did was not budging, "Well, my darling…then why don't you let me pull back so we can talk about this together…?"

He tried to pull back gently once again, but she kept him firmly where he was. Again, she shook her head. "No…" she whispered, and he waited patiently for her to continue until she added, "I…I can't bear to look into your eyes right now. Please…" she begged before he could reply, "Please, Frank, just help me…I want you but…but I'm afraid of…of…"

"What, darling?" he asked, frowning slightly, "What are you afraid of?"

She paused for a moment before she answered him.

"I'm afraid I'll be too scared to want you if we go any further than this."

Frank understood and nodded. "Well then, do you…want me to try and help you?"

She nodded vigorously, "Yes, Frankie...Please…"

He nodded once more, turning his face to her ear and whispering reassuringly, "I know, love, I know. I understand you…" She nodded again, and he asked, "Will you trust me to let me try something, love?" She stood still for a few seconds, and then gave a curt nod. He knew that meant she was giving him permission.

Keeping his head buried in her neck, he softly dragged one hand down her body, caressing her skin languidly. She shivered again beneath his touch. He paused at the border of the covers, waiting to see if she stopped him. When he saw she stood still, he carefully lifted the covers and dove his hand even further down her body, stroking her stomach down to her abdomen. He stopped again when he reached the rim of her panties, closing his eyes to keep his own lust in control for another few moments.

She was now breathing heavily. He turned his face and gently nudged her ear with his nose, questioningly. This time, she didn't nod, but dropped her hand from behind his head to his shoulders and pulled him to her, demanding his closeness more and simultaneously granting him permission to move on.

He breathed deeply, feeling relieved, and smiled as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. He glided his hand beneath the rim of her panties, letting out a low guttural moan as he reached her most intimate area. Roxie gasped audibly, arching her back as soon as his fingers touched her. He placed his mouth against her ear again and whispered hotly, "This is what I want, Roxie…this is how I want to touch you…do you feel it?" he stroked her gently, making her squirm. "Shhh, shhh, my little lamb…it's all right…don't be afraid…don't fear me…trust me, please…I will not hurt you, do you understand?" she nodded, now gasping for air and moving involuntarily against him, "Shh, let it go, Roxie…relax….just trust me, my love…please let me…." He felt her thighs relaxing at his words, and then felt her part her legs a little more to grant him more access. "Yes, that's right," he whispered, satisfied, "Please let me touch you again, my beautiful Roxie….please don't be afraid…Don't you remember how we used to be? Don't you remember how…_good _it felt, to be together?" he demanded, underlining the word with a more intense stroke of his hand, which made her moan out loud, before he continued, "Yes, darling…and that is what I want to feel with you again…That is what I want to do…I want nothing more than to be with you, baby…" as he spoke, he continued stroking her repeatedly. She stopped squirming, adjusting to their position as he hovered above her, and slowly but surely began to respond to his touch.

Getting more confident, he pulled down her panties entirely, and felt her wiggle herself out of them, kicking them aside. He returned to his position and started to increase his movements, now beginning to elicit other small moans from her as she moved against his hand and grasped his hair firmly. Unable to hold back, he breathed deeply as well and began placing wet kisses and small bites on her neck, biting her just hard enough to let her feel his teeth grazing her skin, but still ready to stop if she pulled back suddenly.

He adjusted himself on top of her, pressing his body down against hers, and she responded by parting her legs even more and sinking lower down into the mattress. He was now stroking her with intensity, and as his fingers caressed her inside folds he felt her chest heaving with lust beneath him. He increased his movements even more, until she panted his name out loud. "...Oh Frank…Frankie…Oh…" she bucked her hips and clung on to him.

He lifted his face to look at her, covered in sweat like her, "Yes, Roxie?"

She glanced at him, eyes filled with lust, then placed both hands on the side of his face and wasted no time lowering his mouth against hers, his velvet lips sending an immediate wave of pleasure coursing through her veins. She immediately deepened the kiss, as he gave her mouth the slightest nudge and she parted her lips, eagerly welcoming his tongue to dive inside. They closed their eyes, ecstatically rejoicing in their newfound physical contact, while Frank never ceased his intimate administrations with his hand. Roxie felt her head spin, completely and absolutely intoxicated by him and loving every single moment of the sensation he was giving her. The wild attraction they had for each other burned back to life, taking over their every thought. Madly, they roamed their hands across each other's bodies, caressing, pulling and grasping themselves as they seemed to never tire of their kiss. In a mad rapture, Roxie pulled down Frank's underwear, and he tugged his nightshirt off his shoulders, so that they were both practically naked.

Suddenly, Roxie pulled herself up. Frank, feeling weaker than usual, let her take control. She pushed him back, straddling him. She parted from his lips, holding his face in her hands, their breaths heavy, forcing herself to think rationally for a moment. She stared into his eyes as they caught their breath, languidly stroking her thumb on his cheekbone. He turned his face around to capture her thumb in his mouth, and bit her softly, his eyes half closed.

"Is this going to hurt you?" she asked breathlessly, leaning closer to him.

"Oh darling," he replied, kissing her thumb, his voice low and thick with lust, "This is the best cure I can think of."

That was all she needed to hear. She claimed his mouth again, hungrily, and he clung onto her, grasping her shoulders and pulling her down to him. They both moaned as they united, and Roxie rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. He intertwined his fingers in her hair, grabbing her locks and making her gasp, and kissed her fiercely again.

Roxie moved up and down on him, careful not to hurt him and ready to stop if he felt too weak. But instead, his passion seemed to fuel him even more, and he kept hold firmly of her waist, guiding her movements rhythmically. His momentary physical weakness made them climax a little sooner than usual, but the intensity of their pleasure felt a hundred times stronger than before.

Roxie gently pushed Frank back on the mattress, laying on top of him as he welcomed her in his strong arms. She rested her head on his chest, feeling his torso heave as he caught his breath and stroked her hair distractedly.

"Frank…" she breathed, closing her eyes, "Thank you..."

"Would it be too cheeky if I said, my pleasure?" he asked, grinning. She chuckled.

He gently turned on his side, and she slid off him, still remaining next to him. He moved his eyes across her body up to her face, meeting her gaze. The look in her eyes made his heart swell with happiness: at last, he saw no trace of fear, just the adoring look she'd had for him before, which he'd fallen in love with. His heart jolted.

Fallen in love with. Yes.

He caressed her cheek, as she kept looking at him trying to figure out what he was thinking. She opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her with another sweet, languid kiss. She closed her eyes, this time feeling a new tenderness in his touch and wondering what it meant.

Frank then pulled away, caressing her lower lip like he'd done before, and smiled at her. Yes, that kiss was all he needed, to know for sure.

"I love you, my beautiful Roxie."


	15. CH15: Preparations - End of Prologue

**A/N: After another long absence…It's finally here! The chapter that will finally tie my prologue to the original storyline! Many thanks to all who have favourited and followed the story, also thanks to my reviewers: Flower-Of-The-Moon-0822 (adorable 'Froxie', should we call them?), KODfreak (hope it keeps being interesting!), Field of Sakura Blossoms (this next chapter should answer your question!), ****Guest (yes- cotton candy is MUCH better than heroin anyway!), Miss Savvy (well obviously, with someone like Frank doesn't that seem like the perfect recovery?), SammiRichGurl (really seems like they are, doesn't it?), Guest (it's my pleasure to share it with all you wonderful Rocky fans like me!), HeadInTheClouds130 (it's great to hear from you! Thanks for letting me know Frank's in character, hope you keep reading the story!), and Ela (I can't tell you what's going to happen because I don't want to spoil the stor for you, but yes, there are definitely going to be some AU plot twists, and this chapter should be a good example!)**

**Made this one nice and loooong to make up for the time it took me to update! ;)  
>I hope the AU choices I made to explain the future events of the movie will make sense, let me know if they do!<br>****Estimating one chapter-per-song from now on, following the movie storyline.**

**Will be back real soon! Next chapter is already under way! (promise!)  
><strong>**Kisses to all,  
><strong>**xoxoxo  
><strong>**- ****K.S.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 15<strong>

**PREPARATIONS FOR "A RATHER SPECIAL NIGHT"**

'ANNUAL TRANSYLVANIAN CONVENTION'

Roxie re-read the sign once more in her mind, looking at it with her arms crossed across her chest. She still wasn't sure she understood these preparations and Frank's plan entirely, nor that she was completely fine with all of this – there were still moments when the reality of the situation would seem to hit her harder than usual, and without warning she'd start to feel panicked at the thought of a household full of aliens surrounding her. Fortunately, she'd learned to cope quickly with these small outburst, telling herself firmly that if the conventionists were anything like Frank, Riff raff and Magenta, she would be absolutely fine with them; not to mention, if Frank had agreed on letting them come to his home and have her around without taking any security measures by hiding her away someplace, she knew that had to mean she really had nothing to worry about in the end.

Riff raff finished adjusting the sign, and Roxie snapped out of her daze when Columbia asked her to gently get out of the way – or maybe, not-so-gently, as Roxie had noticed the groupie has begun to seem slightly annoyed with her, coincidentally ever since Frank had recovered from his overdose almost a week before and his relationship with Roxie was more or less back to being how it used to be.

As if on cue, Roxie felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around her, and a moment later Frank's lips descended on her neck as his body pressed against hers. Roxie shivered slightly, playfully trying to jerk her neck away and grinning. She felt Frank smiling against her skin.

"What's the matter, love?" he asked, "You seemed rather lost in thought."

She shrugged, "It was nothing," she replied, "I was just…It seems strange, to think of everything that's going to happen tomorrow."

"It's going to be fine," Frank reassured her, using the same words she'd heard him tell her a million times over in the past few days. "Besides, don't you like your new outfit?"

Roxie automatically lowered her gaze to examine herself. She still felt quite unusual, walking around the house in the high-heeled stilettos and lacy black-and-red lingerie Frank had sent Riff raff to buy for her the other day, as a present for her – a present, Roxie recalled with another pleasant shiver, which he had given her yet after another one of their nights of delights shared together – but, as strange as she felt adapting to her new clothing, she had to admit that somehow, it _did _make her feel rather good about herself. Frank seemed to agree with her, as she now felt him nibble on her ear playfully and purr in a low voice, "I think it makes you look rather…_delicious…_" and he underlined his statement with another small nibble.

Roxie shook herself free in order to turn to him, jokingly reprimanding him for his behaviour with a look, and he winked at her playfully. She noticed he'd been acting rather affectionately with her that morning – well, at least, more than usual. She wondered what was on his mind and gave him a questioning look, but he dismissed her with a grin.

"Doctor, doctor…What are you up to -?" she demanded.

"Absolutely nothing, my love," he replied promptly, before lounging forward and silencing her with a resounding kiss on the lips, and then adding, "Please do me a favour and go see what Magenta is up to in the kitchen, will you? And…meet me in the lab later." He winked at her again and then turned his attention to Riff raff and Columbia, who were busy fixing the last details of the room.

Roxie eyed him suspiciously again, but then shrugged and turned around, clicking her heels away out of the room to the kitchen area. She secretly laughed to herself at the thought of how Magenta was probably loathing all the dining preparations Frank had set up for her. Indeed, as soon as she entered the kitchen she saw the maid cursing as she was trying – rather unsuccessfully – to push the whipped cream out of a cloth cone to decorate one of the cakes she'd made. Roxie shook her head and rolled her eyes, before heading over to help Magenta with her task, as her mind anticipated why Frank had asked her to meet him in the lab later on.

Half an hour later, Magenta insisted that she was fine and that Roxie leave her to finish the last touches for the convention dinner, and go reach Frank instead. Roxie agreed, and headed for the lab. She took the elevator to the last floor and stepped out in the laboratory, looking around to see if Frank had already arrived. In the middle of the round room, she spotted the red tank, illuminated faintly by a ray of the late autumn afternoon sunlight filtering through the top windows. She walked over to the tank and curiously reached out to touch the thick blanket covering it, but froze when she heard Frank's voice stopping her.

"Ah-ah-ah!" he admonished her, "It is not the time yet, my love." She turned around and gasped.

An entirely new room seemed to have appeared out of nowhere on the far side of the lab. After a moment, Roxie realized Frank had unveiled it from behind a set of curtains he hadn't allowed her to approach for the past week, and now she could finally see what he had been up to. A gigantic, king size round bed occupied most of the room, and two lit chandeliers burned by its side. The walls were decorated with coloured mosaics, and the curtains that had been hiding the room were now pulled to the side.

Frank stood sprawled regally across the bed like a gigantic lounging feline, his torso bare except for an elegant black vest, with a bottle of champagne and two flutes by his side. He eyed her hungrily, beckoning her forward. "What's the matter," he asked jokingly, "Cat got your tongue?"

Roxie walked up to him, curiously peering around the new room to examine it while still not understanding Frank's intentions…well, at least not entirely.

"Frank, what…how did you…what's all this -?"

Frank chuckled, "You forgot, didn't you?" She looked at him, puzzled. He picked up one of the champagne flutes, clinking it against the other, and then looked back up at her. "It's our first month-a-versay, my love," he proclaimed, picking up the other flute as well and lifting himself up from the bed to stand in front of her, "One month exactly since the first time we…." He raised an eyebrow knowingly, "…first were together."

Roxie's mouth hung open, "Oh," she replied, suddenly feeling her cheeks blush, "And this-"

"Mmmh-hmm," Frank nodded, looking around the room smugly as he took a small sip of champagne, "I had this made for us. As a…well, a small present, for you and I," he handed her the other champagne flute, "Well, then," he asked, grinning, "Shall we?" Roxie took the flute as he made a toast, "Well my love…To us, and to a million other wonderful times…such as our first," he winked flirtingly at her, and she clinked her glass with his, raising her eyebrow and returning his gaze with an equally intense look. They sipped their champagne in silence, and then Frank smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him. She leaned in to him and placed an arm on his shoulder, as he lowered his face to hers.

"I love you so much, my little Roxie," he whispered.

"I love you too, Frankie," she murmured back, and he kissed her. She eyed him curiously when they broke apart, "So, tell me…how were you intending to…_celebrate_?"

Frank grinned mischievously, breaking the contact with her for just a moment to take both their glasses and set them down before returning his full attention to her. He towered over her, cupping her face with his hands and murmuring, "Well…I had a vague idea…"

His mouth landed on hers once again, this time moving slowly against her lips tempting her with a long, lascivious kiss. Immediately Roxie's body felt on fire, and she moaned languidly in his mouth. Quite unexpectedly, however, she then felt him pull away, "…But first, I'm afraid we have to talk."

Still dazed by the kiss, Roxie looked at him confusedly. "What?"

He sighed, his expression suddenly changing in a concerned one as he took her hand and guided her to the bed, sitting down and signalling her to do the same. "Please, love, sit with me."

Roxie tried to repress the feeling of panic that automatically sprung to life inside her. Her mind reeled with every possible horrible confession Frank could be about to make to her. But she forced herself to keep calm and, trusting that he knew what he was doing, she sat down. He stared at her hands, taking them in his and smiling slightly for a moment before he began.

"Roxie," he looked up at her, "Tomorrow is going to be…a very important day. For us, and for me."

She nodded.

"And, I want to thank you so much for being so accepting and cooperative with me, and I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to see that you are being so understanding of…everything. I feel like I don't entirely deserve it all…" he sigh, "Which is why I am feeling extremely ashamed of having to ask more of you still." Roxie steadied herself to hear what he had to say.

"Roxie…my little lamb," he now raised her hands to his face and kissed them, holding them tightly in his own as he gazed in her eyes, trying to sound reassuring, "You know that I truly love you, so very much. And I will understand whichever reaction you will have, once I tell you -"

"All right Frank, what is it? Are you going to tell me you are going to have an illegitimate alien son showing up tomorrow?" Roxie burst out ironically, unable to contain herself any longer.

Frank was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, shaking his head, "Oh, my lovely lamb! No, that is not the case, not at all…" he cleared his throat, turning serious again, "I'm afraid it's a more rather…personal business." Roxie raised an eyebrow, urging him on.

"You see…The way I was back home…The way I used to be, and how I was seen by my people…That is _not_ how I am now," he sigh again, "And…You see, when I say that you have changed me, Roxie, I am not only speaking metaphorically. I truly mean that you have _changed _the way I am – the way I was, the things I used to think, and what I believed. It's…it's rather complicated to explain on such short notice, but well…Let's just say that, if you had met me before, you probably would _not_ have exchanged my feelings for you, at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, love…Relationships, amongst people, and amongst partners especially, are extremely _different_ here on Earth than they are back home. You see…" he tutted, looking away, "I'm feeling quite embarrassed in trying to explain this…."

"Frank…just say it," Roxie cooed him, reassuringly stroking his hand with hers to make him look back at her, "I will not judge you, I promise."

He sigh, "Well, Roxie…Back home, we….Well, let's just say that monogamy is not considered so much a virtue, as it is considered…a flaw."

Although she had just promised not to judge him, the words hit Roxie pretty hard as she realized what he meant. Her mouth hung slightly open. "Oh." She said simply, before frowning and looking away.

Frank noticed this and immediately began to panic, "Oh, no, Roxie…now, see what I've done?" he scoffed, "I knew this would be difficult…"

"No, no, Frank, I understand, please, just continue…" Roxie tried to sound nonchalantly disinterested in what she had just heard.

"All right, I might as well just get this over with…" Frank grumbled to himself, before taking a deep breath and continuing, "So, my point is…Although I used to be quite – erm – _in line _with my planet's ideals and beliefs, and I – erm – lived all my relationships along those lines, I - and I can't stress out how much I mean this, love - I have truly, radically changed my opinion since I met you, Roxie. I really have, and I love you, and I wouldn't dream of hurting you like I probably would have done in the past, _ever_…And it is crucial to me that you understand that, especially for tomorrow, no matter…no matter what you might see or hear."

Although she had been doing a pretty good job putting on a neutral face, at this last statement Roxie froze. "What…does that mean, Frank?" she eyed him seriously, and saw him visibly struggling to find the right words to say – certainly a first for him, she thought.

"Well – uhm – you see, love…The thing is, although I _have_ changed, and I know I have and I hope I can prove it to you in any possible way, let's just say that…Well, the conventionists are not aware of this change of character. They still believe that I am…like I was."

Roxie felt dread begin spreading inside her, but forced herself to stay calm, "Go on…"

"And…Tomorrow, when they will arrive, they will be expecting to see…well, a little more than a simple human experiment unravelled before their eyes."

"Frank…." Roxie spoke slowly, "It's being hard enough to hear this, please stop speaking in riddles and tell me what the hell is going on!"

Frank bit his lip nervously, "Erm…They…They have been told my experiment has slightly different purposes than the ones you know of…."

"_Frank…!_"

"All right!" he closed his eyes and looked away, before blurting out, "They think I'm building a human sex toy for myself, apart from experimenting with humanoid life." An icy silence settled between them.

Frank didn't dare look at her for an eternity of moments, and when he finally found the courage to do so he found Roxie staring into blank space. He felt his heart sink right down to his guts, and mentally smacked himself for having brought this further problem amongst them. He knew he'd done the right thing telling her before she had to find out herself, but he also knew now it was up to him to make her accept and – most of all – forgive him for this stupid situation he'd gotten himself into.

"Roxie –" he whispered, outstretching a tentative hand towards her. Before he could touch her, though, she smacked his hand away with a sudden movement.

"Don't you dare," she hissed dangerously low.

"No, Roxie, please, my love, don't -" he tried to take her in his arms, but she jerked away from him, standing up furiously.

"I can't _believe _this!" she growled, "After _everything else, _now you have the courage to…to…to come and tell me…_this?!"_

Frank, who had also scrambled to his feet, tried to reach out for her for the third time, but she stepped back. "Darling, _please_ –"

"_No, _Frank!" she said angrily, frowning, "How many more times are we going to have these conversations, huh? Tell me, Frank – how many more secrets are you going to have to tell me, sooner or later? Is this _never _going to end? I need to you tell me right now, because I am not going to have the strength to deal with these things much longer. I love you, Frank, but everything has a limit…"

"And I _promise _you, I will _never _do anything to reach that limit with you!" he interrupted her, still trying to approach her with his arms outstretched as a peace sign, "But this is _exactly _why I am telling you these things!"

"And what kind of respect are you showing me this way, huh?" Roxie fought back the tears, "Telling me your people are coming here expecting to see you give life to a – a – a _sex toy_, when you won't even consider _marrying me _to save yourself from all this stupid masquerade! They don't even know who I am! They don't even know I exist! And…and what am I supposed to do all the while, huh? While you're busy playing king and servants and showing off your personal macho plaything, like the player they still think you are! God…" her voice quivered, and she cut the sentence off. She covered her eyes with her hands, shaking her head to hide the tears falling. "I love you so much, Frank, but…but I don't know if I can cope with anything more than this much longer…"  
>"NO!" He shouted, and she felt him take her wrists firmly and pull her hands away from her face, forcing her to look up at him. "Roxie! Don't you understand? I'm telling you these things because I'm trying to <em>protect <em>you from them, before you have to face them without even knowing it! ROXIE!" He kept holding on tightly to her wrists as she tried to free herself, and made sure she kept looking at him as he continued, "I'm doing _everything_ I can to show you how much I love you, and how much it means to me to keep _you _safe and keep _you _protected, from everything and everyone! Do you really think any of this matters to me? I couldn't care less if they hated their visit here, or if they went back and told the Council I was a complete imbecile, or if the Queen herself decided to block my mission on Earth immediately…But I can't _afford _not to care, because if any of these things should happen, that would mean losing _you! _And I can't let that happen for any reason in the world, because right now _you_ matter more to me than _anything_ else, even my own people!"

His words struck a chord in Roxie's heart, and she stopped struggling, sniffling the last of her tears away as she gazed at him, reading the truth behind his words reflected in his eyes. She took a deep breath, and he waited for her reaction.

"How am I to know that you are telling me the whole truth?" she whispered weakly.

He grimaced, before letting go of her wrists. He took her face in his hands and, gladly seeing she didn't object, pulled her close to him to lay his forehead on hers like they always did. He stared into her eyes, speaking firmly, "Because I love you so much that I will do _anything _to prove to you it's all true."

She didn't say anything, and he closed his eyes, sighing, "Oh, Roxie…" he rubbed his thumb on her cheek, "Haven't you already seen how desperate the simple thought of losing you made me? I am never taking that risk again…And although I don't deserve it, I am begging once again for your acceptance, and for your trust in me once more. Roxie, my love…Please…" And he took her hands in his once again, raising them up to their faces as he waited for her to speak.

But Roxie stood silent, and for one horrible, terrifying moment Frank thought she'd turn her back on him and leave for ever. His heart swelled when he heard her next words. "Well then…I guess…I'll just prove to you that I love you maybe just a little too much, too…"

Frank's face lit up with a huge grin of relief, and his voice shook with emotion, "Oh, my love…My beautiful, wonderful Roxie…" and with one swift movement he pulled her to him and kissed her soundly, before breaking apart and shaking his head, "I do not deserve a love like yours…"

"You're right, you don't," Roxie agreed, but he could see her grinning. She placed a hand on his face and turned serious again, "Frank…please, don't ever let my trust in you die."

He shook his head solemnly, taking her hand in his, "Never, love…" She nodded, then smiled at him before reaching up to kiss him, slowly melding her lips with his. She pulled back and smiled again, "I love you, Frankie."

"I love you," he replied, and they exchanged a meaningful look before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. She clung onto him with her arms around his neck. They kissed again, more passionately this time, and Frank noticed Roxie had begun to push him back towards the bed. He pulled back and grinned mischievously.

"Why, Roxie darling…did you have something in mind?"

An equally mischievous glint sparkled in Roxie's eyes, and she bit her lip lasciviously. She pushed him back, and he let himself fall on the mattress before she climbed on top of him, lowering her face to his as she whispered in his ear. "I don't care what you have to tell all those people tomorrow…" she bit his ear sensually, as she pushed the vest off his chest and he shrugged himself out of it, "For me, you are still mine, and mine alone." Frank closed his eyes and moaned when he felt her biting his ear again, before she began kissing a trail down his neck and indulged in nipping and kissing and licking his skin there. Frank leaned his head back, parting his mouth as her hand groped the bulge in his pants and he groaned. "Oh, Roxie…" he murmured, feeling extremely enticed to see her become so suddenly aggressive. "You certainly seem to-" But surprisingly, this time she was the one who silenced him with a hungry kiss, which then developed in small bites on his lips. Then she raised herself up, satisfiedly seeing the surprised look on his face.

"All right, now let's find a way to celebrate properly," she murmured, arching her back as she reached behind her to unclip her corset and smiling wickedly at Frank, who stared in awe at her before she tossed her top aside and lowered herself back down to him and he snapped out of his daze and eagerly welcomed her in for another passionate kiss.

He groped her thighs, pulling her to him and squeezing her buttocks while she kept kissing him. Then, feeling his usual urge to dominate take overl, he lifted one of her knees up to his waist and flipped them around, bringing himself on top of her as he pinned her down to the mattress. Although things were becoming really hot really quickly, he suddenly had another urge. He pulled away from her demanding lips and eyed her meaningfully. She panted for air, her lust-filled eyes searching his face questioningly. For a moment, their heavy breathing was the only sound in the room.

"W-what's the matter…?" she panted.

He gazed silently at her, awestruck by her beauty, her face damp with sweat, her mouth hanging open, and her eyes half-closed as she looked at him with adoration. He gently stroked her long hair, which lay sprawled beneath her on the mattress, and touched his forehead to hers.

"I…I love you, Roxie," Frank breathed, "I love you so, so much."

She thought her heart would stop when she heard the intensity with which he said it. Somehow, in the midst of her lustful mind she found the strength to lift her hand to his face and answer, "I love you too, Frank…You don't know how much..." She clung on to his shoulder with her other hand, pulling him down to feel him against her, and they kissed again, more tenderly this time, then Frank pulled back again.

"Marry me," he exclaimed. Roxie's heart skipped a beat. "When the convention is over…when all of this is done…as soon as they leave…Marry me…."

She nodded. She now knew what her answer was, and realized she'd known it all along.

"Yes," she whispered, "Yes, Frank…I will marry you….I will….and I can't wait to do so…I promise. Oh, Frank…" she sigh contentedly as Frank, suddenly feeling much more enticed by the situation thanks to her reaction, lowered himself to kiss her neck sensually.

And Roxie smiled, closing her eyes and holding on to him as the man she adored made love to her once again.

* * *

><p><strong>- END OF PART 1 : ROXIE'S PROLOGUE -<strong>


	16. CH16 : When Worlds Collide

**A/N: FINALLY, it begins! Our two Rocky worlds are about to collide! I hope you're ready for what's coming up next, and should you have suggestions on the plot let me know with a review! **

**THANK YOU to all who favourited and commented the last chapter!**

**Thanks to: tanakaL (glad you liked it!) , Miss Savvy (wasn't it a sweet one? :) ), MorEv (thanks for the kudos! Much appreciated! The way I see it, Frank and Roxie have really begun to influence and change each other. That is why Frank is so desperate for her to understand him, he knows and understands how important she is to him! And roxie, on the other hand, has definitely picked up on some of Frank's signature badassness.), Ela (since you're checking every day I hope you'll be happy to find an update now!), SammiRichGurl (thanks girl! And…here's the next one!) **

**To our next update! xoxox**

**-K**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 16<strong>

**WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE**

Roxie slept with Frank that night – even though they had taken to spending the night in their separate rooms, she felt like she needed his presence right then. They celebrated their month-a-versary with another round of lovemaking, but they could tell they were both anxious, because they were much less passionate than usual.

They did have their good reasons for sensing the impending pressure on them, after all: Frank feeling the weight of his responsibility for the coming day dawning upon him, and Roxie still feeling uneasy about what she would have to face. So, they settled with a softer, less intense way of lovemaking for the night, and then kissed each other tenderly, understanding each other's momentarily distant minds. Turning their backs to each other, they tried to rest. Within moments, however, Roxie felt this arrangement wouldn't do.

Frank was just drifting off to sleep, when he suddenly opened his eyes. He felt Roxie's arms encircling his torso, trying to hold onto him as she settled herself against his back, nuzzling her face in his neck. Her simple affectionate gesture tugged at Frank's heart. He knew the girl had managed to change him for good, but it was in small moments like this that he realized once again just how much he loved her. "_I'm going to be by your side,_" he could feel her telling him through his touch. He could feel her compassion and, contemporarily, her need for comfort flowing through her embrace, and he closed his eyes for a moment, keeping still.

Then, he shifted his back around, turning to face her. Wordlessly, they looked at each other's faces in the dim moonlight. Frank was suddenly aware of Roxie's heart beating wildly in her chest, and by the look in her eyes he could tell she was just as nervous as he was for the next day. "_I'm scared of what's going to happen,_" she seemed to be saying through her eyes. He smiled slightly at her.

Raising his hand to her face, he gently stroked her cheek and neck, caressing her softly to try and sooth her. "_It's going to be all right,_" his touch told her wordlessly, "_I'm going to be by your side too._" Then he reached for her and pulled her in his arms, letting her head rest on his chest as he held on to her. One hand buried in her hair, as the other kept caressing her face. He closed his eyes for a moment, holding her tightly.

"_We will go through this together,_" his embrace seemed to say. Then he lowered himself to kiss her face, starting with her temples and moving down to her cheeks, placing soft butterfly kisses on her lips. He could feel her arms also stroking his back soothingly. "_As long as we're together, I'm not going to be afraid,_" he could feel her thinking to herself.

It was true, they had just made love, but somehow they felt they were now exchanging their emotions in a completely different manner. Frank could feel a knot in his stomach from all the sheer feelings of love and comfort and reassurance that were buzzing through him. He nearly felt intoxicated by it.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Roxie reach up and kiss him soundly on the lips, resting her mouth against his for long lingering moments. "_I love you,_" her simple kiss told her. She pulled apart and looked at him with comprehending and loving eyes, and he smiled at her before kissing her back just as tenderly as she had just done. "_I love you too,_" he responded. Then, they settled down into each other's arms to sleep, this time feeling remarkably lighter and comforted than they had before.

Roxie drifted off to sleep, letting her mind wander…

_She opened her eyes suddenly, not knowing where she was. A bright light shone above her, blinding her eyes. She was laying down, but she didn't know where. She felt lost and disoriented. Her breath was ragged and quick, a sign that her panic was growing with each passing second. She was suddenly aware of a presence besides her, and jerked her head up. She couldn't tell where she was, because her surroundings were all blurred and confused. But there, standing besides her bed, she could see a man sitting down on a chair, with a bunch of flowers in his hand. Roxie frowned. _

"_Wait a minute…." Her voice echoed repeatedly as she spoke, "I know you…."_

_The man looked up when she spoke, he seemed surprise to see her awake. Roxie had never seen him before, and didn't know why he was there for her, and she had no idea where they were, but somehow she knew exactly who he was…Because somehow, she knew his name…_

"_You're Brad. Brad Majors…"_

The sunlight hit Roxie's eyes, startling her and making her abruptly wake up with a slight jump. She was sweating, her hair was covering her face, and she was laying in Frank's still-sleeping embrace. Magenta silently fussed about the room, not bothering them as she gathered their clothes and tidied up, before entering the bathroom to check their towels. Roxie ignored her and turned her head back to Frank, looking up to his dormant face. He seemed so calm and peaceful, and it seemed to be one of the extremely rare occasions when she could see him with just a hint of makeup on his face. Roxie wondered why, although he loved her and they shared such an intimate relationship, he still insisted on wearing such a large amount of makeup every day. But she respected and loved him too much to confront him for it, and she'd figured it if made him feel good about himself she would not keep him from it.

She kept still until she heard Magenta walk across the room again to leave, closing the door behind them. Finally alone again, she shifted closer to Frank and placed her hand on his face, stroking his cheek lovingly. He stirred, breathing deeply. When he opened his eyes and looked directly at her, Roxie felt her heart leap. Even though she was used to him by now, he still had an overwhelming magnetic power over her, capable of turning her into jelly with just one look. For a split second, he seemed to glare at her intensely, making her also feel uneasy. But it lasted only for a moment, until he recognized her and his eyes softened remarkably. Apparently, she figured, she had woken him from an intense dream. He now looked at her adoringly, and shifted to wrap his arms around her tightly, pulling her to him and planting a resounding kiss on her forehead. "Good morning, my love," he whispered.

"Good morning," she whispered back, clutching on to him and resting her head on his chest. "Are you ready?" she added softly.

He was silent for a second, then breathed deeply. "Yes." He mumbled, before stroking her hair and adding in a soothing voice, "It's going to be all right, Roxie. Do you understand?" Roxie nodded, then looked up at him, and he smiled at her. "Go get dressed, I'll see you down for breakfast," he told her. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her lips, then they disentangled themselves from the sheets and got up from the bed, as Frank headed for the bathroom and Roxie left to go to her room to get ready.

"It's going to be all right," Roxie told herself reassuringly as she walked down the hall, "_Everything's going to be all right._"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a few miles away, in Denton, Betty Munroe and Ralph Hapschatt were getting married. Amongst the guests and family present at the church, Brad Majors watched the young couple drive away in their car, as he stood besides his fiancé, Janet Weiss.<p>

"Oh, Brad," she said, clutching the bride's bouquet, "Wasn't it wonderful?"

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><p><strong>AN: UH-OH! Looks like we're ready to begin! **

**Did you like it? Questions? Doubts? Suggestions?**

**Storyline should be easier to create and follow from now on, thanks to the movie plot, so keep an eye out for the next update coming soon!**

**xoxoxo**

**Kayla**


	17. Ch17:THE ANNUAL TRANSYLVANIAN CONVENTION

**A/N: IT'S HERE AT LAST! I hope you all enjoy this one, because this chapter officially marks the bridge between my prologue and the movie plot! **

**THANK YOU to those who have favourited the story, THANK YOU to my reviewers:**

tanakaL,Morgan, Riiot, LooksthatkillA7XWiLCntrl (Good observation. You may absolutely imagine any actor who has ever played Frank in this story; I, however, personally, go with Tim! Although, admittedly, some parts of my Frank are inspired by David Bedella. I have no idea if you can tell, but yes. Tim's the main inspiration though.), Ela, and SammiRichGurl

ENJOY!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 17<strong>

**THE ANNUAL TRANSYLVANIAN CONVENTION**

Roxie fumbled with her garter belt, her fingers trembling slightly as she fixed the straps. She cursed under her breath, fighting to regain her composure. Once she was done, she straightened herself up, facing the full-length mirror in front of her.

_So this is it, _she thought, _Here we go._

She was ready.

* * *

><p><em>POP!<em>

Another bottle of champagne was popped open, its cork soaring in the air and landing somewhere across the room. Frank offered his crystal glass to Riff raff, who promptly filled it with the bubbly liquid. The vintage jukebox was blasting music from a corner, as Columbia sat on it and entertained the guests around her by dancing to its beat. Magenta fussed about the room, checking the buffet and asking the guests if everything was all right, occasionally stopping to chat with someone she knew along the way.

The room was packed full of Transylvanians, all wearing the traditional formal dress which consisted in a black suit, white satin shirts, white gloves and socks, black heeled shoes – even for the men - and various eccentric accessories which varied from wigs to sunglasses to hats to jewellery. Riff finished filling Frank's glass and turned to serve other guests as well.

Frank lifted his glass with a regal gesture, the chatter and laughter around him dying noticeably as they all stopped and looked at him. "My dear guests, and fellow Transylvanians," he began, his strong voice booming in the room, "It is a pleasure to have you here, and I hope you are enjoying your time so far. It is a pity that your visit should be so short, but I hope tonight's party will make up for your long journey and be a celebration to remember for a long time! It will be my pleasure to escort you all to the laboratory for more…pressing matters, as it were, as soon as we finish with our delightful dinner. I'd like-"

But he was suddenly cut off when the doors at the far end of the room opened. He looked up to see who had interrupted his speech, and had to fight to keep his composure. Everybody followed his gaze and turned their heads towards the door at the same time, and multiple gasps and surprised whispers immediately erupted all around the room. Everybody seemed to be talking at the same time, as they all stared at the same person.

Roxie stood still in the doorway, directly under the spotlight, her breath catching in her throat, fighting with all her might to keep from turning around and running as fast as she could out of the room. Desperate to find the strength to do something, she looked up and finally caught Frank's eyes across the room. They both stood still for a moment, staring at each other. Then, at last, with an immense sigh of relief, Roxie saw Frank snap out of his daze and take the situation under control once more.

"Roxie!" he called out, his face breaking out into a theatrical smile.

Everybody simultaneously turned to look at him, then followed him as he crossed the room towards Roxie, his arm outstretched towards her. He climbed the stairs beneath the doorway, stepping up besides her with a wide grin still spread on his face.

"Darling!" he called loudly, before standing right in front of her to shield her from the others and leaning in as close as he could, whispering to her, "_Love, it's going to be all right, but please wipe that look of terror from your face. I'll take care of it,_" he reassured her with a wink, before stepping away from her and turning towards the guests, still beaming as he proclaimed, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you all," he raised Roxie's hand, holding it tightly in his, "to my dear Roxanne!"

Once again, murmurs and whispers broke the silence that had settled in the room, but this time they sounded more curious than shocked. Frank once again smiled, turning to Roxie and raising an eyebrow, asking, "Shall we?" before gently guiding her down the steps and across the room, passing right in the middle of the guests who all parted respectfully as they passed. Frank, Roxie noticed, kept holding her hand as he led her on.

Roxie wasn't entirely sure why her arrival had created such commotion, but with all due honesty she began to think it could have something to with the way she was dressed. She _had _only followed Frank's advice on what to wear, after all. But perhaps, she hadn't made the perfect choice? She looked up at Frank and caught him staring at her. She thought he seemed concerned about something, but the truth was that Frank had to fight to keep his mouth from hanging open as he looked at her, in all her beauty.

The lacy black and red lingerie outfit he had given to her made her look simply _stunning. _She'd worn it the day before as well, as they were preparing for the convention, but although her stockings and panties were the same, she had switched the top she had been wearing with an actual corset, and her stilettos had been replaced with a pair of Mary-Jane shoes that clicked on the pavement with each step she took. She had tied her hair in an elegant up-do, her makeup was darker and more precise than usual, her lips were painted bright red, she'd picked a pair of black gloves to go with the outfit, and she was wearing a necklace around her neck with a small diamond charm on it – the necklace, Frank noticed with a small jolt of satisfaction, which he had given her as a present for their month-a-versary. All in all, Roxie's beauty that night was breathtaking, and everybody was admiring her just as much as Frank was.

Roxie had felt uneasy and completely out of place when she had entered the room. Now, however, she stood by Frank's side, as he offered her and drank champagne, talked with his guests, and played host for everyone. And soon, she noticed, she didn't feel afraid anymore, and she knew it all had to do with the fact that her man was standing right by her side, careful to keep holding her hand the entire time. Roxie, slowly but surely, began to feel safe and secure, and when every now and then she felt him squeeze her hand and give her a questioning look, she'd squeeze back and send him a small smile to let him know she was doing okay.

That was, until they stopped in front of a small group of Transylvanian men which Frank introduced as members of the Council – which Roxie knew meant they were some of the most important guests of the evening, especially for Frank's mission.

"Pleasure to see you again, ," one of them addressed Frank.

"Thank you, Octavius," he responded with a slight bow of his head, "I hope you're having a good time, gentlemen?"

The three men around Octavius nodded in agreement, and Roxie smiled politely until she caught Octavius staring right at her, with a look she did _not _like at all. Frank immediately noticed this, too, and Roxie felt the grip of his hand increase slightly.

"Why, Frank, your little friend here is absolutely astounding, isn't she?" Octavius slurred, the tone of his voice making a cold shiver run down Roxie's spine. Frank's hand tensed up even more, but he kept a calm façade.

"Yes, well, she's delightful," he replied airly, trying to break the moment by exchanging a look with Roxie and giving her a smile which she nervously returned. Octavius, however, didn't seem satisfied with the answer.

"I wonder," he spoke, "What is _her _purpouse here tonight, if I may ask? Riff raff and Magenta have of course always been with you to assist you, and we know the red-haired groupie over there served you for one purpose only," he jerked his head towards Columbia and sniggered, the other three men imitating him. Roxie frowned. This was not good. She knew it.

For a split second, Frank didn't answer, apparently struggling to keep a neutral face, but he quickly recovered and sneered matter-of-factly, "Yes, well, _Columbia _has been very helpful to me since I got here…Roxanne is a good friend of mine, whom I met when she was badly in need of some help; I merely thought helping her out would be the least I could do since it would cost me nothing, and she ended up…Staying." Again, he exchanged a meaningful look with Roxie, but by now she was too worried to return his smile.

"Hmm….I see," Octavius responded, raising an eyebrow behind his dark glasses, "She's…human, of course?"

"She is," Frank replied curtly, his hold on Roxie tensing once more.

"Ah, I see." Octavius raised his head, "Well, I was merely wondering… Because, you see, we _do _have a pact, which you know all about, of course… And since it's clear that all the other _servants_ have a specific need except for her, it'd be really easy to come to the conclusion that_ she…._has _other _purposes, with you." He stared at her, and Roxie lowered her head to escape his gaze. "Although, come to think of it, I do understand why you'd want to keep such a pretty little thing with you, apart from having the redhead too….She certainly looks worth having around, I can imagine how she comes pretty in handy…." He slurred his words, leering at Roxie from head to toe with such malice that she cowered in fear. He then dared lean forward and raise his hand, touching Roxie's shoulder and dragging his finger down her naked arm. "Yes, you certainly have not lost your good taste in partners, Doctor…I can see that…." he nodded as he examined Roxie's half naked figure. For one terrible, dark moment, a flash of the man who had once tried to rape her flashed in her mind, with the same look in his eyes as Octavius had now, and it made her shiver uncontrollably. Frank felt her wince and clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes, the anger overcoming him before he could control himself. With a flash, he grabbed Octavius's hand and pulled it away from Roxie.

"Octavius," No longer able to hide the irritation in his voice, he spoke with ice-cold authority, "As much as I understand and respect your roles here tonight as members of the Council, and as friends, allow me to remind you that I still _am _the legitimate Prince, and therefore while I might understand your concerns regarding our pact and the mission, I must warn you that I shall _not _tolerate you talking like this to Roxanne! Is that clear? She is part of _my _clan, and she is under _my _protection until I say otherwise, therefore you will NOT DARE insult her with such behaviour!"

The three men seemed taken aback by Frank's outburst, but Octavius merely stiffened his face in a rigid expression of superiority and murmured, "Yes, your Majesty."

"That will do," Frank growled impatiently, before leering at the other men as well and, feeling Roxie's hand still trembling as the girl fought to keep her composure, murmured a brief, "Now, please excuse us," before bluntly turning his back on them and carrying Roxie away with him.

The other guests had by now noticed something was wrong, and although they kept celebrating they all watched Frank storm his was out of the room, holding Roxie by his side with an arm protectively draped across her waist and a dark look in his eyes. As they passed by Magenta, Riff raff and Columbia, he muttered, "Entertain them. Keep an eye out for those bastards," under his breath, before leaving the room and slamming the doors behind them. They found themselves in the empty atrium, and Frank led Roxie inside the elevator, pushing the button to the bedroom floor and closing the gate behind them.

* * *

><p>As soon as they lifted off the ground, Frank turned to Roxie, who had tears in her eyes, and the expression on his face changed drastically. He dropped the dark serious look he'd been wearing and his face turned to one of concern and tenderness. "Are you all right?" he asked her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and the contact was enough to make Roxie break down in tears. He grimaced and tut-tutted, "Oh, no… My love," he cooed, opening his arms, "Come here, come here…." She flung herself in his embrace, and he held her as tight as he could, resting his head on top of hers and closing his eyes. "Shhh, it's all right love, it's all right…"<p>

"Frank…." She sobbed, clutching his shoulders and leaning her face on his chest, "Frank, I'm so sorry, I ruined everything… I couldn't help it, he was so… so… disgusting!"

"Oh, no no no, darling, don't you dare even say that," he reassured her, pulling his head back to look down at her, staring into her eyes, "You did not ruin _anything, _do you understand? That was a _lot _of pressure for you to handle all at once, I was a fool to think you wouldn't suffer from it. Oh my poor, poor little lamb, please forgive me…" he frowned, sorrow in his eyes, and hugged Roxie tightly to him, "I promise you, no harm is done and you do _not _have to deal with any of that anymore, do you hear?" he sneered, "Those bastards… and that motherfucking asshole Octavius, he's the worst of them all! I should've known he'd try to find a way to get to you… what a doggone son of a bitch," he muttered under his breath, "I don't know how but I swear one day I'll find an excuse to have his head served to me on a silver platter! Bastard," he repeated, his voice dripping with anger. The elevator stopped. He pulled his head back to look at Roxie again, changing his tone once more with sweetness and concern, "My lamb, see what you do to me? My will to protect you is making me curse like a drunken sailor tonight!" Although she was still shaken, this made Roxie giggle slightly, and Frank smiled kindly at her. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, "Come, let's go lie you down for a while."

He opened the elevator doors and guided Roxie down the hall, although Roxie saw he led her to his bedroom and not hers – perhaps, he felt she'd be safer there. He led them inside and closed the door, walking over to the curtains to pull them closed so that the only light came from a huge cluster of candles that had been lit by the bedside. Then he took the cape he had been wearing off and let it fall to the ground. Roxie had meanwhile sat down on the edge of the bed, and he settled down besides her. Her head was lowered, as she stared blankly at her hands.

"Love?" he asked, placing a hand under her chin and making her look up at him, his eyes full of reassurance and calm now, "Are you all right?" Hypnotized by his eyes, she didn't speak, but nodded – not convincing him at all. He cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes, then lowered his hand from her chin to press his fingers on her neck. Sure enough, he could feel her heart racing wildly through her veins. He tut-tutted. "Now, there is no need to lie to me, little darling," he paused for a moment, then lifted his legs up on the bed and leaned back, stretching his arms out to Roxie as she watched him, "I can't see you like this. You obviously need to feel comforted. Come here…." She took his hands, and he gently pulled her towards him, guiding her to lay right on top of him as he settled his back on the large cushions behind him. He kept pulling her towards him, until she was completely on top of him and her face was lowered down to his, and he stroked her cheek softly.

"It's all right love…." He whispered.

Suddenly Roxie seemed to reanimate and lifted her hand to his face as well, cupping his cheek and looking into his eyes, "Thank God you were standing by my side…Oh Frankie…" she frowned, and he shook his head, "Lamb…"

She lowered her face and kissed him tenderly, still cupping his jaw, both of them closing their eyes. Frank's hands roamed her back, softly caressing her body and tracing her curves languidly. He knew she was going to be all right, but the scare they'd had was certainly no joke. Roxie pulled back slightly, whispering, "I love you so much…." Before kissing him again, to which he managed to somehow pull back and respond, "I love you, madly….and tonight more than ever….You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my entire life." He kissed her soundly, and when he pulled back to lay his forehead on hers, both of them panting slightly, she grinned, "No, _you _are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. In this, or any other world…you are absolute perfection to me…." Enticed even more by her words of devotion, Frank lifted his head and captured her lips again, languidly kissing her as he probed her mouth open and slipped his tongue inside, exploring her mouth with soft caresses. Roxie held his face in her hands, as he lifted his torso and she straightened her back so that she was still straddling him and he had propped himself slightly more upright on the pillows.

Roxie pulled back suddenly, gasping for breath, and looked at him with an intense stare, caressing his face, "Why can't I ever get enough of you?" she demanded sensually, leaning in for a quick hot kiss before biting his lower lip and suckling on it, making Frank moan, and then pulling back once again to growl, "I could devour you." She leaned her forehead on his, staring down at him as he breathed heavily, and bit her lip.

Frank held his hands on her waist, squeezing them with desire as they exchanged a heated glance, before he dove in and began planting a trail of searing hot kisses on her chest, making Roxie clutch his head to her and lean her head back, moaning.

"I could – never – get – enough – of – you," Frank spoke between kisses, biting and licking her skin and making Roxie sigh heavily with pleasure. He made his way up her neck and beneath her ear with more kisses, landing on her jaw and chin before giving her an intense stare, "-_Ever-_" he repeated, before kissing her mouth and demanding another hungry kiss to which she gladly obliged.

She straddled him and began to move sensually on top of him, making him immediately respond, he groaned in her mouth and grabbed her hips, wanting more. She pulled on his hair slightly when she felt his arousal begin to grow beneath her. He dragged his hands up her back, pulling her to him, and started unclipping her corset free, both of them feeling the heat overcome them as they started to savour the taste of what was to come….

But a knock on the door forced them to freeze, panting heavily.

"Master?"

Frank growled in utter frustration, "What IS IT? This had better be good, because if not –"

"Frank," Magenta's voice sounded alarmed from behind the door, "Riff raff was checking the security cameras….."

"MAGENTA, I DON'T-"

"Master… Frank," she repeated urgently, "There's….there's somebody inside our grounds."

* * *

><p>Both Frank and Roxie froze. They exchanged a brief glance, then Frank gently slid Roxie off of him and hurried to the door, opening it. He found Magenta standing there and looking embarrassed, evidently conscious of the fact that she had interrupted something. "I'm sorry, Master…"<p>

"Who did he see?" he demanded sharply, as Roxie walked up behind him to listen.

"They seem…."

"_THEY?"_

Magenta nodded, "They seem to be a couple, Master. Lost, most likely. It's pouring outside, they might be looking for help."

Frank clenched his jaw, looking down. He murmured, "This isn't good. At all. Not here. Not now. Not _TONIGHT!" _ he spat angrily, punching his fist on the doorway. Roxie jumped, and he immediately turned to her to reassure her with a meaningful glance. She nodded at him. He looked back at the floor, and after a few seconds his expression changed.

"Unless…" he whispered, lifting his head and widening his eyes as an idea struck him.

"Unless?" Magenta and Roxie repeated in unison.

"Unless….we invite them to join our little….celebration." Frank grinned maliciously, staring blankly in front of him, apparently lost in his thoughts. Roxie could almost see the wheels in his head turning as he quickly came up with a plan. "Yes," he murmured, before snapping out of his daze and turning to speak to Roxie, "Oh, my little lamb….I think this just might be the perfect gift for us right now!"

"Frank," Roxie frowned, shaking her head, "What are you talking about? What do you mean?"

He gave her an understanding look and answered with a simple, "Trust me, love," before turning to the maid and ordering, "Magenta, you and Riff raff take care of them. Wait for them to find the entrance and let them inside. Take them to the party room. Entertain them for a while."

Magenta nodded, before raising an eyebrow questioningly and asking, "But then what, master?"

Frank grinned wickedly, "Oh, Magenta… Don't worry. I'll take it from there."

* * *

><p>As soon as Magenta left, Frank knew Roxie would start objecting to his plan, mostly because she didn't understand what he was up to. And sure enough, just as the door had closed, the girl turned around and confronted him.<p>

"What are you doing?" she demanded, "Frank! What's gotten into you?"

"Love, you have to trust me…"

"I _do _trust you!" she objected, "But this just seems stupid! Inviting a couple of strangers inside, and on this night, of all possible nights? Frank, it's an enormous risk! You're going to blow your cover, and ruin your convention! Your plan is going to go to hell!"

"_Roxanne!_" he cut her off, catching her off guard when he called out her full name, and then stepped up to her, taking her by the shoulders and looking into her eyes, "Calm down! You have got to trust me, baby! I am _not _going to destroy my entire mission out of sheer stupidity! I have a plan! Don't you see?" he began to explain, "We'll let them in and show them to the other Transylvanians, and that should already be enough to distract them from bothering you again, love. Then, most importantly, it'll prove to them that there _is _some possibility of human encounters up here, so their doubts about your arrival will vanish. And, once the Transylvanians leave, we'll just kick them out and be done with them, so they won't be a problem! It's perfect!"

"But, Frank," said Roxie hesitantly, "How on earth are you going to introduce two perfect strangers, _humans_, to a room full of _aliens_, without having them die of a heart attack? And after that, just kick them out and not expect them to come back with an army of policemen?"

Frank seemed unmoved by her reasonable doubt, and shrugged, "But, love…there's _no need_ for them to know we're _aliens_!"

"-You mean _you're _aliens-"

Frank gave her a look. "Anyway," he added, "There's no such need, love. We are fortunate enough, to not look different from normal humans, at all…"

"You mean apart from the fact of living in a castle with a group of strange people all dressed in tuxedos, an insane butler, a psychotic maid, a crazy groupie, and a transvestite scientist? Oh, and that's excluding me, of course. A mental hospital refugee."

Frank jutted out his hip and rested his hand on it, bringing his hand up to his chin in a thoughtful manner. He seemed to think it over for a few seconds, then nodded, "Well, yes. That sounds just about right!"

Roxie scoffed, before looking at him, "You can't be serious."

He sustained her look with equal intensity, and was about to open his mouth to speak when they heard the doorbell ring. Frank grinned in satisfaction, as though that bell sound meant he had just won the argument.

"Well," he said matter-of-factly, "Looks like the deed is done…"

Roxie sigh and shook her head, frowning, "This will _not _end well, Frank…." She protested weakly, but interrupted herself with a surprised gasp since instead of answering, Frank seemed to have a change in attitude and suddenly scooped her up, holding her thighs and hoisting her to his waist, before pushing her into the wall. Roxie suddenly found herself looking straight into his emerald eyes, which seemed lit up with anticipation and excitement.

"Just-Trust-Me."

He then leaned in and kissed her, a little rougher than usual, but Roxie found herself responding nevertheless to his touch. He pressed himself against her and broke the kiss to catch some air. "Damn Magenta for interrupting us," he muttered darkly, grinning wickedly at Roxie's equally flustered face, before turning serious again, "Roxie," he said, "We'll get through this. The convention will be over, the creation will be done, the night's going to end, we're going to send those bloody idiots back to their planet where they belong, and then we'll send these two poor suckers on their way too. It's going to be all right. Everything's going to work out fine. And as soon as this is all over," he leaned his face to hers, and whispered, "_I'm going to marry you_, and we'll be united forever."

Roxie, taken aback by such fierce intensity with which he meant his words, simply managed to nod in agreement, and caressed his face with her hand before he gave her another hungry kiss.

Then, he pulled back and smiled, "Well….it's show time, baby. Are you ready?"

Still not sure how this was all going to work out, Roxie nodded nonetheless.

"Let's go," he said, putting her down and opening the door. He put his cape back on, then held his hand out for her. She took it, hesitantly, and he led her down the corridor, heading once again for the elevator.


	18. CH18: SWEET TRANSVESTITE

_WHOOPS! Slightly late update, as usual… I beg your pardon, my lovely readers, please understand me, I'm currently studying for my last university exams EVER! BUT, I will not abandon this story until it is done!_

_THANK YOU REVIEWERS!_

_**LooksthatkillA7XWiLCntrl** (more updates, yes, and I'm SO sorry it's taking me for EVER!),** tanakaL** (well… I can't tell you yet, or I'd ruin the surprise, right? ;) ), **Guest** and **mrsgoblinqueen97** (It's always such a joy to hear I actually manage to block someone in front of the computer screen to read my story! Thank you! It's been complicated to keep Frank in characted while still 'changing' him enought to make people see how much he loves Roxie and how much she's changed him. I'm glad my transformation seems to be working!)_

_TO OUR NEXT UPDATE!_

_XOXOX  
><em>_K._

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 18<strong>

**SWEET TRANSVESTITE**

As Frank pushed the elevator button to take them back downstairs, he gave his back to the metallic doors and faced Roxie with a big grin on his face. She could tell he was obviously finding all this very amusing, but she couldn't help feeling worried about what was about to happen. She was imagining what sort of threatening visitors had dared to venture up there to the castle on a night like this. As they descended, however, her ears suddenly picked up what appeared to be the two strangers' voices coming from the atrium.

"Brad, please, let's get out of here…" a shy, quivering female voice begged.

"For God's sake, keep a grip on yourself, Janet!" a polished, distinct man's voice answered reassuringly.

Roxie frowned. _Brad?_ Why did that name right a bell? She was distracted from finding an answer, however, when she noticed Frank had caught her listening to the conversation and was smiling bemusedly at her.  
>"But it…it seems so unhealthy here!"<p>

"It's just a party, Janet!"

_Well,_ Roxie thought, _this certainly doesn't sound threatening. _This sounded…_scared._

"Well, I wanna go!"

"Well we can't go anywhere till I get to a phone!"

_Yes, _she nodded to herself, _they were DEFINITELY scared._

"Well then ask the butler or someone!"

"Just a moment, Janet! We don't want to interfere with their celebration!"

Roxie looked up at Frank, frowning and shaking her head. Who on earth _were _these two people? Her initial fear began to quickly fade as she peered over Frank's shoulder and, catching sight of the couple standing below them, she realized that they probably looked like the least dangerous people she had seen in her entire life. She looked back at Frank, whos eyes were now shining brightly with excitement from what he knew he was about to do, and for some reason she began to feel affected by his own amusement. She returned his smile, and he leaned towards her to whisper, "Are you ready, _ma petite_ lamb? Let's have some fun," he pulled back and winked at her. She raised her eyebrow at him in response. _Fun._

"This isn't the junior chamber of commerce, Brad!"

"They're probably foreigners with ways different than our own! They may do some more…folk dancing!"

By now, Roxie could see the situation was becoming quite ridiculous – for their guests, at least. The poor couple seemed to be more frightened than she had _ever _been inside that castle…And that was including the time when she realized it was inhabited by aliens! A part of her felt sorry for them and for the fright they were sure to get from this night, but alas, she couldn't help feeling giddy and participate in Frank's playful 'trap' that he was about to set loose on them.

"What will we do?" she mouthed curiously at him

He whispered back, "Just follow me." And then nodded meaningfully.

Just then, the elevator hit the ground floor, and for a moment Roxie held her breath.

"Look! I'm cold, I'm wet…and I'm just plain scared!" the girl, Janet, cried.

"I'm here! There's nothing to worry about!"

Frank gave Roxie one last glance at this Brad's last sentence, as if to say, "_That's what HE thinks!_" And Roxie covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Frank smirked at her and gave her one last wink, which meant, "_Let's go!_" …before dramatically turning around in the elevator.

Roxie covered her ears as Janet's piercing scream filled the air, and with a flick of his head Frank watched the elevator doors open before him. Roxie was surprised to hear him begin to sing, his voice booming effectively in the atrium.

"_How'd you do? I_

_See you've met my faithful handyman…"_

He glanced at Janet, and then turned and leaned on the elevator towards Brad.

"_He's just a little brought down because_

_When you knocked_

_He thought you were the candyman!"_

With a majestic stride, he made his way out of the elevator, leaving the stunned couple behind him as he entered the convention room. Roxie, suddenly feeling caught up in the moment, unexpectedly found herself following his lead: and before she knew it, she heard her own voice, echoing in the atrium loud and clear.

"_Don't get strung out_

_By the way he looks_

_Don't judge a book by its cover!"_

It was as if something had suddenly come over her, and as Brad and Janet spun their heads back around to stare at her, she moved sensually inside the elevator, leaning towards them, placing her hand beneath their chins and looking at them both.

"_He's not much of a man by the light of day…_"

She jerked her head away from them and stared at Frank.

"_But by night, he's one hell of a lover!_"

And with that, she gently but decidedly pushed them away, striding inside the room following in Frank's footsteps. Frank, who had by now reached the stage at the far end of the room, was watching her with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. However, as soon as she finished, without missing a beat her threw off his cape, revealing his alluring physique clad in lingerie in all its glory.

"_I'm just a Sweet transvestite_

_from Transsexual, Transylvania…_"

Roxie strutted back to Brad and Janet, who by now seemed either scared out of their wits or too fascinated with what was going on to react properly, and she grinned playfully at them as she placed her hands on their chests and began pushing them towards Frank.

"_Let us show your around, or maybe_

_play you a sound-"_

She grinned sarcastically at them, eyeing their perfectly matching clothes and sober attire.

"_You look like you're both…pretty groovy!_"

She spun them around suddenly, making them face Frank, who picked up right after her without a second's hesitation.

"_Or, if you want something visual_

_That's not too abysmal_

_We could take in an old Steve Reeves movie!_"

Frank picked up a glass of water and turned to stop by a group of Transylvanians, who, playing along with the whole scene, playfully pretended to greet him as 'Doctor Furter'. Roxie stood right besides him, hands on her hips, as she eyed the ever-confused couple from head to toe. She raised an eyebrow when Brad suddenly spoke up.

"Uhm, I'm glad we caught you at home…Could we use your phone? We're both in a bit of a hurry."

"Right!" Janet bravely intervened. Frank gave them a look, and Roxie couldn't help but laugh.

"We'll just say where we are," Brad insisted, seeing that Frank wasn't really paying any attention to them, "Then go back to the car…We don't want to be any worry!"

Frank exchanged a glance with Roxie, who smirked, and then suddenly turned and threw the full water cup right at Octavius, who was standing by the Transylvanians gathered around them. He seemed to do so 'accidentally', but Roxie had to bite her tongue to keep from bursting out laughing once again, especially once she saw Octavious's horrified face. The Transylvanians around them giggled unabashedly. Frank turned back to Brad and Janet.

"_Well, you got caught with a flat? Well!_"

He looked at Roxie again and raised an eyebrow, "_How about that?_"

She grinned and then looked at the couple, singing in a mock-worried voice, "_Well babies, don't you panic!_" She looked back at Frank and nodded approvingly, as he led them back towards the stage and continued.

"_By the light of the night_

_It'll all seem all right_

_I'll get you a satanic mechanic!_

_I'm just a Sweet transvestite_

_From Transsexual, Transylvania…_"

With that, he comfortably leaned in his throne-like silver chair, pulling his legs up on one arm and leaning his back on the other. Roxie looked at Riff raff, Magenta and Columbia and nodded, and together they joined in the picture, setting themselves neatly around Frank: Magenta behind the chair, Riff beside Frank's head, and Columbia by his feet. Frank beckoned Roxie, and she sat elegantly on his lap, posing like the rest of them. Frank grinned at her and then turned his head to their two guests.

"_Why don't you stay for the night?_"

"Night!" Roxie, Riff, Magenta and Columbia repeated in unison

"_Or, maybe…A bite?_"

"Bite!"

Frank turned to look at Roxie and lazily dragged his finger up her thigh as he looked at her wantonly. "_I could show you my favourite…_"

He reached the outline of her breast and stopped, "_Obsession._" He winked at Roxie.

"_I've been making a man…_"

He turned to Riff and caught a strand of his long blonde hair between his fingers.

"_With blonde hair and a tan_

_And he's good for relieving my…tension!_"

Slowly, he started to get back up, and the rest of them followed him.

"_I'm just a Sweet transvestite_

_From Transsexual, Transylvania…_"

Suddenly, he busted a move and playfully smacked his own ass,

"_Hit it! Hit it!_

_I'm just a Sweet transvestite…"_

He signalled Roxie to follow him as, with a dramatic opening of his arms, he descended back down from the stage, pushed Brad and Janet out of the way, and proudly strutted back towards the elevator, with Roxie following him suit.

"_From Transsexual, Transylvania…_"

They both reached the elevator, and Roxie leaned her back on the gate, sensually bending one of her legs up beneath her; as Frank leaned both his arms on the metal gate. He looked down for a second, then picked his head up and announced,

"_So! Come up to the lab_

_And see what's on the slab_

_I see you shiver with antici…_

_Pation!_

_But maybe the rain is really to blame_

_So I'll remove the cause…"_

He chuckled maliciously, eyeing Roxie, sensually snaking his arm around her waist, and pulling her to him – to which she promptly responded by wrapping her leg around his waist and then turning to wink at the shocked couple – before reaching out and closing the elevator again with a meaningful chuckle.

"_But not the symptom!_"

And with a bang of his fist, he activated the elevator, and both of them rose in the air and out of sight, leaving the two poor suckers to stare after them in total awe, with absolutely no idea what they had just witnessed.

* * *

><p>As soon as the elevator reached the lab, Frank and Roxie burst out laughing. Frank opened the gates for them, leading Roxie out, and then pushed the button to send the elevator back downstairs.<p>

"Oh, Frank, that was _fantastic!"_ Roxie exclaimed. He grinned with satisfaction.

"See?" he beamed, "I told you it'd be fun!"

He walked past her to the electric control panel and lit the lab up. Roxie looked around, the room had been cleaned and cleared of all the various pieces of machinery she'd found laying around the last time she'd been there. She also noticed that the anniversary room Frank had built for them had been closed out of sight. The tank she'd tried to peer into last time was still there, still covered with a heavy red cloth. She took a few tentative steps towards it, eyeing the container curiously.

Frank eyed her from the control panel, a hand on his hip. He walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you curious to see, lamb?" Roxie nodded, "It's a majestic piece of science, if I may say so myself, a rather wonderful creation."

"I don't doubt it," Roxie answered, turning around in his arms, "After all, it's you who made it."

She looked at him languidly, then reached up and kissed his lips tenderly. He placed his hands on her sides and clung onto her, as she snaked her arms around his neck. She broke apart and tenderly placed small kisses and bites on his mouth. "Do you want to know how I named him?" he whispered to her. She nodded, "How?"

"I named him Rocky…" he answered, responding to her kisses, "After you, my love...My greatest invention…In your honour, my life…"

Roxie stopped and seemed taken aback, "…Really?" she asked, incredulous.

Frank nodded, "Yes, love…To me, it is only an experiment…But as I created him, the only thing I could think about was you…And how once this is all over I will be able to marry you, finally…That kept me going, that made me finish my work, and that's what's going to get me through this…You're my reason, Roxanne," he confessed, before capturing her lips in a kiss. When he pulled back, however, Roxie was surprised to see him frown and sigh.

"What's the matter, love?" she asked him.

"I don't want to do this," he mumbled, leaning his forehead to hers, "I loathe having to put on such an act, for the sake of those idiots…. I don't want you to have to see the person I once was, because I'm afraid it will ruin the image you have of me and the person I am now, thanks to you… I wish I could just take you away from all of this, and leave them all behind."

Roxie soothingly stroked his back, holding on to him, "I know, Frank… I know that this isn't what you would've chosen. But the mission was here before me, and you know better than I do that if you pull back now, we're never going to get out of this whole damn situation. Believe me, I don't want to go through this any more than you do, and see you behave like a player just for other's entertainment," she spoke honestly, "But the truth is, you – we – have no other choice, and if we want to free ourselves, we _must_ do it. Whatever happens, just remember why you're doing this – you're doing it for the greater good, so that we can have our happy ending, once this is all done. You're doing a fantastic job so far…And I trust you with my life, that whatever you will do will not be done to harm me." She pulled herself to him and hugged him, and he rested his head on top of hers.

Roxie ran her hands up and down his back, "You're going to make it, Frankie," she said reassuringly, "We'll make it through."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Does it make sense for Roxie to be so accepting of Frank and his 'mission'? What do you think?**

**OKAY, so I've been having HUGE issues on deciding if to include the songs in the movie or not - Because, usually, I DON'T like writing a story with random song lyrics in the middle; BUT, seeing RHPS is in fact a musical, I realized that if I DIDN'T include the songs, that would leave me with very little to write about. SO... Yeah. Does it still work, as a story? Let me know!**


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